The Love Training
by 4ever-a-fairy
Summary: Living as an actress is tough if she can't act as if she loves. Somebody's solution for that problem is kidnaping her and introducing her to a training that teaches the art of killing. Instead of learning how to become a full-fledged assassin, she reaches her initial goal and, for the first time in her life, learns the feeling of love... Towards whom? Surprise. Towards her target.
1. Actress is kidnapped!

**Hey there! I came up with this idea out of the blue, so I'd really like to hear your opinions if I should continue it or not. Enjoy!**

The sound of the knife dropping to the ground echoed in her ears and alongside the empty walls of the house. She stared a moment longer with wide, shaky eyes at her piece of work. Her trembling fingers gripped her trousers, the blood dripping silently from her long nails. As if she could only just realize what she had done, she took her hands to her line of vision and stared blankly at them.

"What did I do…?" she asked herself in a whisper, her eyes falling fearfully upon the leap of flesh, the remains of what once had been her husband. The soft sound of a bell could be heard in the wind, which washed away the stink of blood in the room. The dark sunset would be her last recall before she would completely devote herself to the silence. That majestic silence that she could at last feel to the depths of her tired needs.

Yes, it was finally silent.

The dear had been a nice person, but too loud for her taste. No worries, no longer. He was gone and she could breathe in as much silence as she needed. Yes…

She took out a shaky breath and felt a smile playing along to her fulfilled desires. Yes… It felt nice… To stand in the presence of what had completed the struggle of two months of planning and lying, preparing the field for the game that had been to come. She stared longer, nailing her chocolate eyes into that shade of deep, dark red, a shade that had seduced her since the first time they had met. A shade that made her feel like pain was a bare pleasure. She took her hands to her white lips and tasted her juicy husband, grinning when that pleasure struck her senses like a stab into her heart.

Delicious… Simply…delicious.

"And…CUT!" the director's voice could be heard in the silence and then a murmur broke free through the smiling staff. "Good job everyone, the scene was perfect!"

Lucy found herself blinking surprised, breaking out of the magic of her role. Before she went and washed her red hands, she licked the rest of the sour cherry juice not going for such a waste. She studied the faces of the people around her and was surprised at their surprise.

Wendy, the youngest actress on the platform, approached her along with the others, congratulating the blonde kindly. She rubbed the chills off her arm when she said:

"Gosh, your acting gave me Goosebumps. I could feel the temperature drop when you grinned like that!" she chuckled flustered.

''R-really?" Lucy smiled even more flustered. ''I don't think I was that great."

Before Wendy could protest, Gray, a nice co-worker and one of her best friends appeared out of nowhere beside her.

''Wow, good job! You played perfectly!" he laughed and then added in a low tone: "Are you sure you've never murdered before?"

Lucy chuckled blushing from the praises, thanking the two and assuring them she never killed anybody. The director known as 'director Makarov', an old, short fellow with a white mustache congratulated Gray, the one who had played the murdered husband and then announced everybody on the platform to prepare for the scene in the rain.

Lucy gathered herself and tried to wash away the pride that forewarned to take over her acting. She couldn't allow all of the appreciation to mix in with her concentration on work. She shook her head shortly and did a double check to see if she knew all the lines to the scene she had done so many times before in front of the mirror. Yes, it was easy. She remembered this scene was set before Giselle, her character, killed her husband. Actually, it was set somewhere in the beginning of the movie, but this was the first rainy day since they had started filming, so they were to take advantage of it.

She entered the trailer and waited for the stylist –also make-up artist- before she told the driver to set out. A train of thought entered her brain and she started daydreaming about her character's story while half listening to the instructions of the woman while her make-up was wiped off and then done again. This time she wasn't supposed to be a pale, crazy woman holding a bloody knife. She was the stunning traveler that Peter fell in love with.

The story is set in the near future and it all begins one early morning when Peter, a handsome man with a boring life, is sitting in a bar, drinking to the sadness of being left by his girlfriend. And that is when Giselle, the most beautiful woman he has ever seen, enters the room only carrying a backpack and collapses to the ground due to a bullet in her shoulder. After the commotion in the bar fades away, Peter volunteers –thanks to his knowledge in medicine- to take care of her until it would be safe to abandon her at a hospital. But he slowly falls in love with her mysterious self and in the end he never lets go of her. He finds out she is one of those girls trained to kill ever since they are born and she escaped the training area, running away from the cyborgs set to take her down. Secretly she carries in her backpack an ultimate weapon that she stole before leaving, which is a reason in addition to get killed. Peter marries her and swears to her he will protect her with the price of his own life. And he actually manages to do so until that late evening, when Giselle turns out to be a smart psycho and she kills him. After that, she gets found out by the cyborgs and also dies. In the end it seems like Peter was never just a foolish romantic husband and he has an active past of his own; he used all his knowledge to make such a barrier around them that it would've been impossible to be found while he is alive.

The movie's genre is action and romance. It is very romantic, indeed, but only until that part with the murder, when you realize Giselle never loved Peter and all this time she was only just a great actress, using him and his love to her advantage.

Lucy didn't particularly like this movie. She was the happy-ending type and actually hated the director's choice for this kind of conclusion, but it was enough for her to play such a character as Giselle, whom she really liked for no specific reason. She was attracted by the mysterious, silent girl, who was in reality a strong, cold, mad woman. She didn't exactly sympathize with her, but she found out that she was really good at impersonating Giselle, and who doesn't like doing something they're really good at?

"Ouch!" she called out when the mascara brush poked her eyeball, waking her up from her daydreaming. She backed up from the stylist's touch and held her now crying eye.

"Oh, I'm sorry." the woman said half-heartedly. She felt a little satisfied for the pain of the actress assuming she had been talking for the past quarter an hour to the hand.

"It's OK" Lucy muttered trying to open her eye. The stylist rose up from her tiny chair and searched for the box of tissues on the messy little table of the trailer.

Lucy took the tissue that was offered to her and stuffed it in the round of the eye, wiping away her tears along with the make-up. After a couple of minutes while the woman waited for Lucy's sight to get back to normal so she could continue with the make-up, the trailer stopped and after a few more moments, the door was dragged open and the face of a staff popped out in their sight.

''Are you ready?"

The stylist answered telling him to wait a little longer. Lucy looked behind him and saw the other staff waiting under huge umbrellas while even further away, a huge group of people hiding under their hoods started yelling madly when their eyes met with the actress'. Fans. Lots of them.

"Look, it's Lucy! Lucy! Lucy! Look over here!" they screamed enthusiastically and Lucy couldn't help but notice they were mainly girls. Once again, she thought about how the movies she played in were really popular among girls but almost despised by males. Why? She considered for the thousandth time playing in more action movies. But then again, this fact couldn't make her wonder just how people would react when the new movie would come out. How will they react when instead of Lucy Heartfilia, Giselle will dominate the scene? For the first time, Lucy wasn't playing a minor role in a soap-opera. For the first time, she was playing Giselle, the girl that, despite the first impressions of being romantic, actually can't love.

To Lucy's surprise, that last conclusion she had drawn was completely wrong. Two hours later, she was taking the sixth break to get herself together because she couldn't pull out the role.

Yes, you heard that right. She couldn't pull out the one and only role in which she had to show her love. Giselle must've been a much better actress then the girl if she could look like she was in love and Lucy couldn't. She couldn't even look at her co-workers with the embarrassment of frustrating them for the sixth time for not being able to play Giselle. What in the world was happening with her?

She breathed in deeply trying to calm down and, again and again enter Giselle. She had to tell herself the story every time she felt like she couldn't do it.

_My name is Giselle. I am 18 years old. I was raised inside the Hellerbough gates, born, grown and kept only for the purpose to kill. The only people that I know are my masters and the target that I have to murder. Thanks to the only consciousness that was left to be my own, I decided I can't take it any longer and ran away, carrying with me secrets that would bring me back dead if are to be found out. I met Peter, a man whom I can use and whom I have to make fall in love with me. _

And this is where she loses course of the feelings, bringing her back to the reality of Lucy Heartfilia. It feels like some sort of short circuit inside the system that lightens up her character. When the word 'love' pops out, she finds herself not prepared.

She ruffled her hair frustrated and looked at Gray trying to picture him as Peter, trying to enter the Giselle mode without allowing herself to be tricked by that unknown feeling and be pushed away. She studied his raven hair and his dark eyes and wanted to make herself believe she loved them. But all she could feel was that they belonged to her dear friend. All those hours spent trying to read the people in love, her co-workers playing the main roles to a romantic film, or even those annoying commercials to shampoo in which he takes her hair gently and kisses it with love… Well, they didn't seem like they were paying off.

She had been aware of the fact that when 'love' appeared, she only lacked. And what was most frustrating was that she was impossibly dumb when it came to it. It somehow seemed inhuman how bad she was when it came to that kind of affection. Nobody could understand this about her. Even the group of fans who had jumped up and down enthusiastically a while ago were now waiting silently, not sure how to feel about the situation.

She rose up brutally and dusted herself with determination.

"Okay! I'm going to try one more time!" she hissed to herself and then screamed: "Let's do this!"

"Do your best, Lucy-sama!" a fan yelled being followed by others: "You can do it, Lucy-sama!"

She exited the protection of the big umbrella, approached Gray with big, heavy steps and the cameras turned on fast once the cameramen figured there was no reasoning with the new found determination. Lucy entered the Giselle mode so suddenly that Gray almost flinched. He also hurried to get ready for the scene and threw her a sad, longing expression.

''Giselle…'' he whispered hesitatingly.

Lucy looked deeply in his eyes, a little too robotic, lacking a real, necessary feeling, which met the director's reaction with a sigh. He decided to let it slip away so he could see what Lucy had prepared for them this time. The girl didn't stop her walk, which was now softer and unsecure. She tried to promise herself that Gray was more than a friend, that his eyes were making her taste such desires that she would just die if they were shut in a forever sleep. This presentation of love was a little off indeed, but this was the way a woman had described it to her once, which she never forgot. And even though this promise to herself seemed so real, she couldn't bring herself to believe it.

When she eventually got near him, the script told her she had to stop and look sadly, lovingly at him and then to throw herself in a hug, whispering to him one of her most bitter secrets and then start crying. Peter would hesitate but eventually decide that his love for her was too strong to abandon her. So he would kiss her and ask her to marry him.

But instead, to everybody's surprise, she hurried the course a little and did what nobody expected.

Gray dropped the black umbrella when he found out what she was about to do and the heavy rain started pouring on their heads. He widened his eyes honestly surprised but at the same time remaining in the skin on Peter.

Lucy wrapped her arms around his neck, rose on her toes and parted her lips the way she saw others do on the other side of the TV screen. Their lips touched and remained so for a while in front of the wide mouths of the staff. The director's jaw stood the lowest and not because of his height.

'Could this be…? COULD THIS BE IT?' he thought shocked, feeling his adrenaline and hope rise to the lever of bursting out in a squeal.

'Please let this be it! Please let me feel it!' Lucy thought at the edge of bursting out in the same sort of squeal.

And just when the staff watched amazed how everything had taken an unexpected turn of events, Lucy parted her lips from Gray's, both huffing softly, light steam exiting their mouths. She looked at him and had such a mild, sad look on her face, that the cameras couldn't let this moment escape and zoomed in to the point you could see the little shake in her eyes.

"Giselle…" Gray whispered, this time with surprise and delight.

"I love you…"Lucy whispered in his ear. And the staff's hearts skipped a beat only to start racing the next moment…

''… I _think_ I do…" she then said out loud frowning confused. "I mean, for a moment there, I thought…''

A burst of sighs, groans and face-palms could be heard breaking free from among the staff and watchers and only then Lucy noticed how silent it had been a moment ago. The director moaned a "Cut" resting his forehead in his hand and not being able to understand how he had been able to actually hope for Lucy Heartfilia could pull out a role in which she was in love.

And then, the thought that everybody had was 'Don't _ever_ let Lucy change the script when it comes to a love scene'.

Gray left to have a drink of water while the blonde couldn't put an end to the apology. "After all, I can't do it…" she cried desperately. "I'm sorry, director Makarov!"

"It's alright, it's alright. You'll pull it out somehow.''

But everybody knew this was impossibility.

"Why don't you take a break for now?"

"Again?" Lucy asked saddened and muttered "But I just took one a few minutes ago…"

The rain got heavier and the cameramen decided it was the most perfect moment either for the scene, either for a hot coffee back in the studio. Lucy begged them for five whole minutes to allow her to try it one more time, but they already started talking about how they would edit the previous scene and cut everything after Giselle whispers 'I love you' and replace the rest with something else. In the end they agreed to allow her to try something one more time, but obviously nobody had any interest left. Just when Gray's manager was about to tell him they were shooting the part after the kiss, a limousine pulled over close-by gathering the staff's attention. Gray seemed to recognize the car and grabbed the umbrella used in the film and ran over to the door in the back that was opening.

Lucy looked curiously at the person exiting the car opening a big umbrella before standing in front of Gray. She studied him shortly and couldn't help think she had seen him before. In her opinion, the only feature that stood out about him was that ridiculous pink, ruffled, hair. Well, she couldn't actually notice much due to the distance and the rain. She partly returned her attention towards the script while she got her make-up done for the fourth time that day.

Gray continued to talk to the mysterious man until they parted with a hug and he returned under the protection of one of the platform's huge umbrellas. The mysterious man threw a glimpse towards the group of fans taken by surprise with the sudden appearance and after he winked at them and waved, they began hysterically screaming and jumping up and down and for a whole half an hour they couldn't stop. Lucy felt a little jealous knowing that she had never gotten such a reaction from the audience and that only made her wonder just who the man was. When she had thought that he was going to leave after parting with Gray, she had been wrong. She watched surprised as he returned inside the limousine and then came out along with a tall woman under the same umbrella. They hurried towards the filming site and went under Gray's big umbrella.

Suddenly the script was of no interest to Lucy anymore.

She rose up ignoring the surprised stylist and hesitated before deciding to go to Gray. But just when she stepped into the rain, she stopped, watching wide-eyed how the director and the tall woman shake hands. This only made a huge question-mark rise from her head. What was going on?

She waited expecting director Makarov to yell at her to get back under the umbrella, but instead he sent her manager, a short young girl called Levy, to bring her the most devastating news. And suddenly she knew why nobody cared anymore if she got herself soaked or not.

She wasn't playing in the movie anymore.

Levy slapped her with the rolled script book with a frown on her face.

"Don't be such a drama queen! I said you're only not playing the part after the kiss!"

"And that means the entire rain scene!" she cried. "And they're letting a complete stranger play it instead of me! They're letting the _manager_ of a pink haired creep play in a movie instead of me!" she blew her nose loudly.

''That's only because this is an opportunity! That manager looks a lot like you, you know? You didn't even see her and you're already crying!"

"Who's that creep anyway? Nobody knows him, nobody cares about his stupid manager!" Lucy continued crying as if she hadn't even heard her manager's words. Levy sighed and patted Lucy as the blonde started crying harder when seeing her reflection in a mirror. The fresh make-up was now all spread on her red face; the mascara befouled with black under her eyes had traced a black line down her cheeks. Before she would complain about this matter too, Levy hurried to prove her wrong.

"That's not true, you know? He's really popular. He's a singer."

"I don't know him, right? Then he's not that popular after all."

"That's because all you're interested in are movies and acting. You never listen to music other than the soundtracks to your own movies!"

"I'm a busy person, I don't have time to listen to music!"

"Well his music is really good, you know? Listen to it and you can only then comment."

"I hate it already!" Lucy cried harder burying her face into her handkerchief.

"Well it doesn't matter anymore, anyway." she continued. "I'm no longer a busy person, so I might as well listen to all the music and eat all the snacks I want until I get fat and lazy because nobody will care for what I become anyway. I'm just a boring actress that everybody has to deal with because I can't even play a dumb rain scene because I never loved anybody and nobody has ever loved me!"

"That's not true!"Levy screamed shocked. Lucy raised her face to look into her manager's eyes waiting to hear how it's not true that she's a bad actress and that her playing was actually good, or something like that. But what followed made her cry harder: "_I_ love you!"

"See?" she asked, confusing the girl.

"Lucy?" Gray approached them shaking the water off his umbrella. "What's wrong?"

Levy could notice how the blonde's wiping tried to stop. Lucy turned her head away while saying harshly:

"Oh, as if you don't know."

"No, I don't. Are you angry because Hannah is going to play the role instead of you?"

"What do you think?" Lucy said bursting out crying again because hearing it coming from Gray's lips sounded so harsh in her ears.

"Are you kidding me? It's just, like, two minutes in the movie! And they're going to edit her face so that everybody will think it's you. They won't even guess that somebody else was playing your part. Hannah was nice enough to agree to that even though nobody's going to give her any credit and you're still crying as if you're some kind of victim!"

Lucy lowered her head sobbing. She was beginning to feel embarrassed with herself seeing things from that point of view.

"So stop your crying, sit up and watch and learn!" he said loud enough to get it in her head. He then made a pause to give her time to do so before sighing and saying: "I came here to tell you that we're shooting now and you might want to watch carefully a professional."

Lucy sniffed and looked up at him.

"A professional?"

Gray threw her an unforgiving stare.

"Hannah Elizabeth Feweek? Winner of Cannes Film Festival for three years in a row? How come you've never heard of her?"

Lucy's eyes widened to the point she couldn't blink and she stood up, turned on by new, unknown reasons.

"Wait, she's _that_ Hannah?! She's my idol! I've wanted to reach her level ever since I began my career and now she's …" she suddenly gasped amazed, covering her mouth with her hands, staring at Gray and then staring in the direction of the woman "…And now she's going to play my ROLE! IT'S-"

She started running in the rain towards the other umbrella where Hannah was taking cover, while she continued yelling:

"-SUCH AN HONOR! I AM SO GLAD TO MEET YOU! THIS IS THE BIGGEST OPORTUNITY IN MY LIFE TO TELL YOU HOW MUCH-" she paused to breathe in and then continued normally shaking enthusiastically the startled woman's hand "I admire your work! I've been watching you ever since I was a child –because even if you were also a child, your talent was sublime- and you've always been my model at work and my source of inspiration and strength when things went bad and-"

Hannah watched the Lucy with red eyes and nose, the make-up spread on her face, glittering eyes and enthusiastic moves. She smiled taken so much by surprise that she wasn't even sure if all the praises were addressed to her or anybody else. Eventually, Lucy concluded:

"Oh, and I am so extremely sorry for only noticing now the situation! I'm sorry for not giving my regards any earlier."

And then she stopped as suddenly as she had started. As if she only just remembered how she must've looked, she ran back through the rain under her own umbrella.

"Oh dear, that must've surprised her. I hope I wasn't too pushy!" she exclaimed in front of Gray and Levy approached putting a jacket on the blonde's shoulders. "Thank you Levy. Oh dear, now that I remember, I must've said some really horrible things about her and the person she is a manager to. I wonder who he is, he must be a really important person if _she_ is his manager. Oh, I bet it is so. He must be one of the greatest singers in this world. I think I'll listen to his music. If Hannah likes him, she must like his music and that means-"

Levy touched her softly making her flinch.

"Lucy." the blonde looked at her manager and seemed to only notice her then. "Calm down."

"Y-You're right, I should calm down."

She breathed in and out and massaged her temples while sitting down on her chair.

The stylist approached holding a hand of cosmetics. "Good, now let's fix that face of yours."

Back under Gray's umbrella, the pink haired singer was laughing while making fun of his manager.

"That was the weirdest thing I've ever seen."

"Stop it, Natsu. The poor girl was nervous and excited. You shouldn't make fun of her like that."

"I'm not making fun of her, I'm making fun of you." he chuckled. "And _you_ shouldn't call her that. She's pretty popular herself, you know?"

"She is?" the woman asked truly surprised. "What is her name again?"

"Uh… Lucy Heartsomething." he muttered.

The woman snapped her fingers and then pointed at him.

"Heartfilia! It's Heartfilia, right?"

"Think so. How do you know?"

"She was on one of those TV shows about people starting from zero and raising to the point of being really popular. Well, don't tell anybody I said this, but she's still got a pretty long way to go. But assuming she began as a girl alone in the world with absolute zero support from anybody, I truly respect her for that. She's from an orphanage actually. It's really admirable."

"Wow, talk about an actor's memory. You remembered all that only thanks to a TV show?"

"Yes, thank you very much, but, um, hello? Didn't you hear the orphanage part?"

"Oh, I heard you." he replied with a fake smile. Hannah didn't continue and they just dropped the conversation leaving her wonder what he could be thinking about and what that cold atmosphere just now had been.

"Alright everyone!" the director called out lending Hannah the last few moments to look over the script after being told briefly the character of Giselle. "Get your bottoms on the set!"

The two newcomers – Hannah and Natsu, the singer- sweat-dropped while the rest of the actors and the staff didn't even notice anymore the weird way of addressing of Makarov. Gray and Hannah continued from the part in which she was having her arms around his neck, her lips whispering her love to his ears. She was told to suddenly turn her back to Peter and hesitate before telling him her darkest secret. Lucy didn't know this, so she just stared with her fists unconsciously clenching, wishing the best to her idol. She decided she would give her her entire attention so that she would learn directly from the woman's live talent.

The new Giselle whispered once more "I love you…", just to be sure. The way she had said it was so seducing that Gray found himself immediately caught in the grasp of her acting. He felt goose-bumps growing on his naked arms slowly surrounding her slim body in a hug. He smiled softly and was just about to say "I love you too" when Hannah's sublime acting took Gray and not Peter by surprise again. She pushed him softly and took a few quick steps away from him. Her head lowered and she took her hair behind her ears just the way she had noticed Lucy tended to do a lot.

Lucy was already aware of this fact so she noticed right away how Hannah was trying to get under the skin of Lucy _and_ Giselle at once, assuming she was supposed to be Lucy playing Giselle, and not Hannah. And at the same time, Hannah proved her observation was sharper than expected. It only took Lucy half a second for her respect to grow considerably. Now she really wanted to become as good as this woman.

Hannah continued her acting. She stopped, hesitated and then spoke softly:

"But it doesn't matter anyway."

"Doesn't matter?" Peter asked with a confused frown.

"Can't you see, Peter?" she said turning around and threw him a pleading look. "We don't have a future. It doesn't matter how much I love you and how much I want to be with you, I just can't allow you to have a future with someone like me."

Peter approached her fast and caught her arm. "I don't understand. What do you mean? I love you, Giselle! I love you and nobody can do anything about that!" he said and then threw her a gentler look expressing his love not only through words but also through his touch and eyes.

"I _want_ to be with you."

Peter leaned in to kiss her, but she threw herself at his chest, shutting her eyes as if in pain.

"Even if..!" she called out hesitatingly. "Even if you knew things about me that you wouldn't like?"

"Like what?" he asked grasping her thin waist and kissing her head, breathing in the scent of her shampoo.

The cameras zoomed in and caught Hannah's expression when her eyes suddenly turned so cold that you could feel the temperature drop a few degrees. She took advantage of him not being able to see her face and smiled softly, her smile devilish and cruel.

She approached his ear and in the sound of the rain her whisper could only be heard by him. Her lips move and Gray's eyes widen with shock. His immediate movements told everybody this wasn't his acting, but his own reaction to Hannah's words. He pushed her and stared at her fearfully, taking a few steps backwards.

Lucy frowned softly and couldn't help wonder what Hannah had said to him.

Peter turned his back upon Giselle and walked away holding his horrified face only to stop and walk towards her again.

"You're joking" he said staring with wide eyes in hers.

But looking at her face you knew she wasn't kidding. Even so, out of the blue, she smiled sweetly and let out a chuckle.

"Well, I wonder about that. You asked for an example, so I gave you an example."

Peter stared at her insecurely, looking as if he wanted to believe it was only just an example but somehow doubting it.

Suddenly, director Makarov shouted a "Cut" surprising everybody and then jumped off his chair and waved for the actors to approach him. Levy told Lucy to go as well. The three along with others walked under the umbrella and waited for an explanation.

"Director? Is something wrong?" Gray asked.

"No, no, child. Your acting was perfect. And so was Hannah's. Thank you for your help."

"Then…" Lucy asked with glittering eyes hoping for what was to come.

"Yes, I think it's time for you to enter the scene, Lucy."

The girl threw her arms in the air happily and ran over to her umbrella to grab the script only to realize nobody was following it anymore and returned. Everybody looked at her run around foolishly and some of them chuckled amused by her childishness. Levy threw them a glare because even though they had seen her act, nobody was taking Lucy seriously.

"Director" Gray asked the old man. "Why didn't you let Hannah continue?"

Hannah was paying attention to the happy Lucy and couldn't hear their conversation. After looking at her, Makarov replied simply:

"Lucy can manage the rest." He paused "And for what's to follow… I wonder if she couldn't manage it even better."

Gray looked at him with a curious frown and dropped the topic.

Hannah, was in reality _very_ curious as to why the director had stopped her acting. She was _never_ cut off while acting. She just pretended not to care and followed Lucy with her stare not expecting much from the childish blonde. She even told this to Natsu, leaning her head towards him:

"Honestly I look forwards to what's to come."

Natsu nodded shortly in return and they both fixed the young actress with their eyes.

Lucy skipped into the rain and Gray followed, looking for the exact same spot where he had stood and taking his place.

"And… action!"

The action board and the blonde's expression snapped at once. Once again drawn into the character of Giselle, Lucy's eyes looked blankly into Gray's, smiling creepily.

"Well…" she moaned approaching him with humdrum steps. She stopped a few centimeters away from him and fixed the collar of his long black coat, allowing her white fingers to fall over the surface of the rough fabric. Her narrow eyes then rolled up into his and they stood that way for a while.

"Whether or not you believe me is your problem after all."

He caught her waist in his tough arms again and looked accusingly down at her.

"Then I choose not to believe you."

"Even if it is the bare truth?"

A pause of silence fell over them and Lucy was glad she had to act strong but still regretful, and not lovely.

Hannah watched her facial expression attentively and kept telling herself: 'Yes, she's doing well, but I could've done the same, if not better'.

Director Makarov threw Lucy a glare. Lucy understood right away that he wasn't pleased. She had to do better than this. But why? Wasn't she doing great already? Only if… The blonde wondered once again how Giselle would _be_ in this situation. Would she really try to win Peter's heart with kisses and declarations of war? Maybe she would win any other man's heart, but not Peter's. He was an unexpectedly smart man that wouldn't fall for a fugitive girl's seducing while he knew that all he had would benefit her well. Nobody smart enough would fall for that, no matter how beautiful the girl. So how would Giselle have to make him forgive her for her horrible sins? How would she make him go crazy for her even if she was so dangerous?

And then, an idea struck her head. Dangerous. Maybe this was the answer!

Hannah watched confused how Lucy had frozen and told herself that if the blonde was to really impress her, she would have to show an act of pleading, using all the gentleness and humbleness she was capable of using.

But even so, under everybody's eyes and especially under Gray's eyes, Lucy blinked lazily and approached him even more, smiling devilishly and for a second, the sparkle of madness appearing in her eyes, sending shivers to the ones watching them on the cameras' screens. Their faces were inches apart, but something told Gray he wasn't going to get kissed again.

"Even if it is the bare truth?" she asked again, this time almost chuckling creepily.

"Even if it is," Peter said talking a difficult decision to speak. "I choose not to believe you. Because I love you and-"

"And what?" she interrupted, glaring at him with disgust.

"And it's easier for you not to accept the truth?"

He looked at her with wide, shaking eyes. For what seemed to take forever, they stared at each other coldly, him fearing and her making him fear.

"But how could _you_, Giselle, "he suddenly began, taking her hands in his and kissing her cold wet fingers "…_you_, with these delicate fingers and these small hands that can't even cover mine… How could you kill someone…?"

Tears appeared in his eyes and you could read on his face his grimaced heart.

Giselle looked at him with blank, cold eyes.

"What, you think that it's about the hands that I can't end someone's life?" she asked taking his hand in her grip and placing it on her chest, making him feel the beatings of her heart. "It's about the heart, Peter."

"NO!" he yelled, breaking free from her touch. "No, you couldn't! Why would you do that?"

"See?" she spoke smirking. "You don't even know me, but you still dare to say you love me."

"But you couldn't have!" the tears were falling down his face. "Back then… you didn't even know how important she was for me. You didn't even know _me_…"

"But that doesn't wash away the fact that I did it, right?" she approached him daring him with her piercing eyes.

"You're lying." He suddenly fell down to his knees and his shoulders shuddered when he began crying for good. As if the weather could read his mood, the sky lightened up and a few seconds later a thunder beat the silence.

"You couldn't have killed my Ur…"

Lucy suddenly understood what Hannah had said to him. She knew that even though Ur didn't exist in the story, it could refer to someone dear to Peter that had died. She also knew that in the present, the one crying was now Peter, but Gray. She looked at him with pity and pain.

Ur was Gray's adoptive mother. Then the only surprise here was that Hannah knew the fact.

The next few minutes, all that could be heard was the rain and Gray's sobbing.

"Then can you see it, Peter?"

He kept silent.

"I'm not who you think I-"

"Why are you doing this to me?" he suddenly said taking her by surprise. She couldn't see his face but noticed the shade of harshness in his voice.

"You said you loved me. We both knew that all you had to do was hide these things from me. You could've only spoken a word and I would even die for you, but instead… You sound as if you don't want to be with me."

She kept silent for a while, and then spoke softly, almost motherly.

"And if I don't show you who I truly am… then who is the person that you are willing to love?"

The small camera that was slowly introduced under Gray's body facing the ground caught the expression of his face when he widened his eyes. As realization struck everybody on the set, this short explanation answering to their doubts regarding Lucy's off acting, Peter slowly lifted his head and his eyes found themselves caught in a soft, warm smile of Giselle's.

"You refused to see how cold my heart was in truth." She spoke lowly. "Now you know that you have fallen in love with the wrong person."

She let the words float in the air for a couple of moments and then turned around, preparing to leave with a bitter taste in her mouth. When her face was safe from Pater's sight, she let it grimace and the tears finally gather in her eyes. The feeling of loss, which she knew so well from her childhood, when she was left by her parents in a place where nobody would love her, overwhelmed her fiercely.

She was ready to run away and forget about everything, when she felt two strong arms catch her in an embrace. She widened her eyes. The cameras weren't missing a thing. Peter let his soaked head fall on her shoulder.

Lucy felt Gray's cold lips press heavily against her neck and she felt shivers going down her spine. In such a moment that took her by surprise, she desperately tried to hide her flinch and cheeks that were preparing to turn red. She pressed her lips together and held in a squeal of surprise. 'What in the world was that feeling?!' she thought freaked out. Hurrying to enter Giselle mode again, she tried to forget it.

But one of the cameras caught her reaction to the kiss and only one person seemed to notice anything special to it.

Natsu Dragneel, the singer, raised his eyebrows surprised to realize this person Lucy Heartfilia was more than not-acquainted to the word 'love'. This idea seemed to interest him more than the movie itself and he didn't even hear Hannah when the woman made a comment about Lucy's acting.

Everything happened in few seconds, so when Peter's lips parted with Giselle's white skin, she immediately opened her mouth to protest, when he interrupted her suddenly:

"Marry me."

Her eyes widened.

"Even if it is the bare truth that you… did what you did…" he paused "it is also a fact that I am in love with you and that I want to spend the rest of my life with you."

He kissed her heavily and then what followed was another short declaration of love and his oath to keep her safe and protected.

The rain scene eventually ended just when the rain ended and all the people present started clapping enthusiastically. Once again, Lucy Heartfilia had proven to them that she is talented, smart and quick thinking, giving a reason to all characters and their actions. On the other hand, Gray proved that he has a very soft and sensitive side and that in less than ten minutes, he can make a group of fans that had come to cheer another actor burst out crying touched.

Lucy was sent to have her clothes changed not to get a cold. But when she returned, she was greeted by congratulations from every side and even Hannah admitted that she was a tough opponent for any actress and that she wouldn't have thought of acting the same ingenious way. Even the director showed her a pleased smile and that weighted more than one hundred praises.

She was happy to have pulled the scene off somehow, even if not entirely. She failed when it came to love, but she excelled in all the others domains. And that was good enough for her.

The night eventually fell in and everybody was sent home with the taste of satisfaction to have completed a difficult task.

Lucy was the happiest of them all. She walked half way to her huge apartment along with her friends: Gray, the little Wendy, Cana, Levy and some other assistants that she was very fond of. It was a beautiful sunset and they all shared their same dream, to finish filming and for the movie to be a success. It was nice that they all had the same dream with every new movie they played in. It was actually the first time they all took part in the same film, so they tried to make it seem like an opportunity to spend more time together and have fun together instead of just work.

It was fun to be an actor. Stressful, indeed, but when they were all together like that, it seemed like a mere game of acting.

Lucy thought about all these things when she parted with them. She looked up at the dark, starry sky and wondered happily what could the next day be preparing for her. She was ready to take anything on! Challenges made her hungry, though, so she hurried home to eat.

She double checked the road in the light of the street lamps but she was alone. She took out her phone checking her mail while crossing the street. It was 9:34p.m. Her steps echoed in the silence.

She walked alongside a building. She then took a turn looking up from her screen to watch her step. Her apartment was a few meters away, just across that tiny street. Just a few minutes and she will be relaxing in the hot bath tub, surrounded by the perfumes of the soap and shampoo.

Out of the blue, she was fully taken by surprise when a black, short and narrow car cut her way just before she stepped down on the street. It braked so suddenly that she flinched and then froze. The door in the back opened and a hand came out, gripped her arm and pulled her, everything happening in a bare second. Her numb body didn't react to anything and only her heart was moving, beating like crazy. She found herself being pushed down on the seat and before she could protest, a hand pressed a white handkerchief against her mouth.

When she breathed in desperately, not being able to remove the hand, she felt her head heavy and dizzy and she was out before she could even realize what was happening to her.

The door had been shut and now the car was on the move. The person who had dragged Lucy placed her body in a better position while saying:

"President, are you sure this is alright? It's just an actress we are talking about."

The person sitting next to the driver tilted their head lightly while answering:

"An actress isn't an actress if she can't even act like she's in love." sounded a beautiful, manly voice.

"I don't see how anybody could learn to love at out training base." the other person replied doubtfully, but still with respect.

The person called 'president' grinned and from under the black guise covering his head, only a lock of salmon hair was revealed.

"Then I believe you will be surprised to see what I've prepared."


	2. The Cage-Day 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail.**

**PART 1~ The Cage**

Lucy stared in amaze at the cell in front of her. The tiny room was dark, dirty and smelly and the only things that convinced you it was livable were the pillow, rag and chair. The weak neon light in the hallway twitched a couple of times and then continued to fall over the white faces of the ones present.

An elbow pushed Lucy's side and a severe voice told her to move. Her head was lowered brutally and she was forced through the short entrance of bars. It was then slammed at her back.

She turned around in an instant and her face expressed desperation and confusion.

"Wait! I don't understand! What's this all about! Don't just lock people without a reason! What's going on here?"

"I thought I told you to shut your mouth!"a red-haired woman yelled at her before walking away. Lucy looked at her tall figure and wondered again what that black uniform could be for.

"Everything will be explained when the right time comes."

"Who are you?"

The woman sent a glare in Lucy's direction and held her hands together at her back. The blonde felt the cold in the whole area all come together in one single pair of eyes.

"Please do not ask unnecessary questions."

Lucy decided not to insist any longer and she just gave up, completely dumb-founded and scared.

All she knew was that she had been suddenly kidnapped and then she had woken up in the arms of many people, all dressed in the same black uniform, taking her through many galleries until they just dropped her in this ridiculously small cell. Their only reply to all the screaming and questioning was "You'll find out at the right time".

Now she was freaked out because had zero idea of what in the world could be possibly happening. What had she done wrong? Did she ever do something to someone to make that someone mad and get kidnapped? Because there was no doubt about it, this was a kidnap!

Or not? Maybe this was a farce! They were playing a prank on her! Her eyes spun around the room in search for the cameras.

"Alright! You got me! For a moment there I was tricked! You scared the poop out of me!"

The only reply was silence.

"It's over! You got me!" she paused and then yelled as hard as she could: "Come on! Somebody?!"

"Hey!" somebody called over, but she couldn't see a thing. The only place where she could make contact with the outside world was the entrance, made of seven thin bars with little gap between, a door even narrower than a window. She froze and instead of checking who had been the one who interrupted her, she just waited and listened.

Even after a couple of minutes, no sound was heard again. She started to think it had been her imagination. The neon light was playing tricks to her mind. It wasn't exactly logical, but that'd do as an explanation for a person in her situation.

What had she, an actress between the minor and major role in the camera world, done to deserve this? Who was the one behind this? There had to be somebody behind this! Was this revenge? Threatening? _Bait_, to someone close to her? What in the world was going on?

The sound of steps echoed calmly on the long hall and this time she hurried to look outside her cell. She saw two people dressed like some sort of officers stop in front of a different cell from hers.

"Hey!" she didn't hesitate to scream.

"What's going on?! Will anybody please explain the situation to me?!"

"Will you ever shut your mouth?"

Lucy lifted her eyes slowly, sat them upon the cell next to her own and them widened them to recognize the person whose voice belonged to.

The name came out with shock and confusion:

"Levy…?"

Her manager looked up from the shadows and placed her glare upon the blonde, throwing fierce chills through her body. She had a messy appearance, but she was dressed the same way as she had been the previous day, on the shooting platform.

"Levy!"Lucy exclaimed surprised again. Finally a face she was familiar to! "Levy, what in the world is going on? What are we doing here?"

The reply came late, with a deep pause filled with cold looks.

"You'll find out soon enough."

She then turned her head away and Lucy couldn't read anything in those blue eyes anymore.

"Come on, not you too!" she groaned and let herself slip down the wall. Levy watched her hug her knees and thought with surprise that either Lucy wasn't taking this situation seriously, either she was extremely brave.

"When will the right time come?" Lucy continued impatiently. "Everybody says the right time; well how the heck am I supposed to react when I don't understand a thing that is going on and in addition I have to wait." she complained.

"And then…" she imprisoned her manager's eyes inside her disappointed ones. "… it's you… I didn't think you'd be the kind of person to take the side of whoever is behind this."

Levy kept silent.

After a while, Lucy persisted.

"You don't even want to tell me what's going on. Alright. Okay, I get it. Something is going to happen to me, I understand. I think I can live with that as long as it's not worse that a prank. But can you at least _explain_ why?"

Again, she received the cold silent treatment.

"Come on, I thought we were frie-"

"Don't you get it, Lucy?!" she was suddenly cut off by the yell. "I've never been on anyone's side! Especially yours. _That_ is over. Alright? For you, it's all over! Nothing is ever going to be the way it was for you. Your whole life is going to change dramatically but you still treat it like some sort of idiotic prank! The note of amusement in your voice has no reasoning. It's all over for you."

Lucy stared at her dumb founded, her eyes wide and the rest of her body not able to move. Levy stared back at her looking exasperated. She sighed trying to calm down.

"I already said too much."

What followed was a long, tense pause of silence, of Lucy staring in shock and Levy trying to forget about everything.

"I still think it's a prank."

Levy felt the need to give herself a nice face-palm.

"Gosh, Levy, I never thought you were into acting. You're doing incredibly well, you should think about it when we get back home. I know a couple of people that would be interested in somebody like you. You can start being my apprentice. It-"

Levy gritted her teeth not being able to put with it anymore. She screamed:

"Stop it! Shut up already! What's so hard to understand that you're never going back home?!"

"Wait… "Lucy suddenly widened her eyes even more. "You mean this really is for real?! We've actually been kidnapped?!"

She found herself having problems breathing.

"What…No…"

Levy shook her head softly and sighed.

"Despite what she looks like, she really is a stupid person." She whispered to herself. Who could be so hard-headed to take so long to understand the situation they're in?

As if they could read the end of patience she was facing, a bunch of guards approached them with silent steps echoing in the depressive hall. The same red-haired woman that had brought Lucy to this place approached her cell and spoke.

"The time has come."

"For what?" Lucy asked, her face turning white.

A tall, muscular man unlocked her cell and grabbed Lucy's underarm.

"For _what_?!" she insisted throwing her shoulder back, away from his touch. Nevertheless he lifted her brutally from the ground and was half dragged outside the tiny room. This time, the blonde felt like she actually didn't want to leave it.

"All in good time." The red-haired said softly and the last thing Lucy saw was Levy exiting her now opened dark cell and the man in black pressing a handkerchief against her mouth and nostrils.

~.-.-.-.-.-.-.~

When she woke up, she was laying on a comfortable sofa, being surrounded by extravagant furniture. She didn't take her time to study what looked like a living room and instead, she tried to focus on what was happening to her. She looked forward where a person was standing at a desk.

Her eyes widened when she realized who that person was only from the color of his hair.

"Natsu Dragneel!" she exclaimed half shocked, half questioningly.

He spun around and looked at her with his eyebrows lifted.

"You're awake. Good." he said softly. "And you know who I am." he grinned devilishly. "Even better."

She opened her mouth to speak, but he cut her off.

"Don't trouble asking. I already know what you want to find out." he laid his hands on the desk in front of him and threw her a pain of sly, onyx eyes. "And I'm here to tell you everything you need to know."

He had said 'you _need_ to know'. Not 'you _wish_ to know'.

He held his hands at his back and started walking around the room. Lucy felt her body weak and wondered if it was from the substance she had been put to sleep with.

"First of all, I'll start by saying that everything, your whole knowledge about the people around you, is false."

He looked for a moment at her big eyes and then continued.

"I might even go as far as to say your whole life was a lie."

Her face was slowly losing color and she couldn't understand why she even believed what he was telling her. Why were the words of a person she only happened to know thanks to her general knowledge, affecting her insides so much?

"What do you mean?" she asked with her voice sounding hoarse in the quiet room.

"For the beginning, I am not who you were told I am."

"You're not the singer?"

"No."

He stopped and looked at her coldly. After a long pause, she cracked the silence with her whisper high-pitched.

"Then who are you?"

He smiled almost unnoticeably.

"It'll suffice for you to know that I'm the one responsible for everything here. If you'll ever feel the need to blame somebody in the future for whatever happens, you will blame me. Just as well, you've probably noticed your friend Levy is also in this place. She is a student here, she has always been. Now you know that not even the ones you used to call 'friends' are what you thought they were."

Lucy's wide eyes stared at his figure walking slowly with his hands in his pockets. Everything about him, everything –the devilish smile, the pose, the tone- made Lucy ready not to believe him. Then how come that she believed them?

"This can't be real." she said out loud.

Just then a knock at the door could be heard and without waiting for an invitation, the red-haired woman entered holding the joints of a dirty, shirtless person.

"President, "the woman addressed to Natsu Dragneel. "He was caught provoking a leader into a fight."

Her hand was too small to hold those thick, muscular arms, so Lucy noticed a pair of handcuffs that locked wide moves from the man.

Natsu Dragneel frowned confused when he spoke:

"Then give him the proper punish? Why are you bothering me with this matter?"

"Well…" the woman said looking at him.

When Lucy looked at his dirty face as well, her eyes widened more and she stood up in an instant.

"He didn't really break any rules yet. And he said that-"

"LUCY!" Gray cut off the woman and he stepped forth so fast, taking her by surprise, that she was pulled along. But she immediately returned and caught his handcuffs tightly, dragging him back. He stumbled upon his own feet, but didn't fall down. The woman kicked the backs of his knees and in the next second he was pinned down on the floor with her foot.

"Don't you _dare_ ever do that again to your leader!" she hissed through her teeth menacingly.

"Erza" Natsu Dragneel called softly and the woman immediately obeyed, putting her foot away and allowing Gray to stand on his knees only.

Gray's head lifted and looked at Lucy with big, sparkly eyes.

"Gray…"Lucy said with shaky voice. "What's going on?"

"Don't worry!" he suddenly screamed fast before he would be stopped by Erza's kicks again. "I'll protect you here! I won't let anything happen to you!"

"Protect me?" Lucy asked feeling her knees shake and her sight was blurred by some tears. "Protect me from what?"

Gray's mouth couldn't be shut even after he was kicked right in the stomach.

"This is a base. You're going to learn to kill here."

After that sentence was spoken, Natsu Dragneel, a personality that hadn't seemed like one to rush with actions, had his eyes wide and his teeth gritted. Before Gray could speak another word, he was punched in the stomach in a silent but strong manner, and all Lucy knew next was that he was laying unconscious on the ground.

"Take him to the Spine." Natsu Dragneel addressed Erza calmly, as if nothing had been said in the first place. "Make sure to keep him a good three hours."

Erza nodded quickly and then, after throwing a glimpse to the body before her and convincing herself she couldn't carry him alone, she opened the door and called some guards. They took Gray away and Lucy was left alone with a president that suddenly put her on the rack and whose smile was suddenly sadistic and cruel.

She was trebling from head to toe.

Natsu Dragneel sighed, calming down what her friend had managed to shatter.

"When I said that everything about your past is a lie, including your friends, I didn't mention that for some of them it all… was much too real to handle."

Lucy looked at him with her lips locked.

"But please don't get your hopes up." He smiled. "Here, nobody wants to make friends. Bonds make humans weak."

"Is it true…?" Lucy whispered scared. "That I will learn to kill…?"

Natsu had stopped in front of her and now he stared into her eyes keeping silent as if he was considering his choices.

"Yes." He said after a while. "And now he is going to pay because he didn't obey the orders to keep silent."

She suddenly widened her eyes.

"That's why Levy didn't want to tell me anything? Because she was afraid of the punishment?"

He smiled.

"You're catching on pretty fast."

"Then…" she frowned. "What am I doing here in the first place?"

"Simple. You were brought here."

"I mean, why?"

"I told you. Because you were brought here."

She frowned confused.

"Why was I brought here?" she insisted.

His face was a small distance away from hers.

"Somebody brought you here. When you are bought here, there is only one explanation: because somebody wants you to be taught to kill." he whispered mocking her

"I don't get it!" she exploded. "Why is it me?! Why did my friends have to lie to me all this time?!"

"Because they live a different life outside these gates."

"Then…" she widened her eyes with hope. "Are we allowed to leave this place?"

If they take me outside, I'd be able to escape and call for help. This kind of organization can_not_ be authorized by the government!

Natsu laughed sarcastically.

"Sure." he smiled and she also smiled. "When you're on a mission."

Her mouth closed and her hopes crashed to the ground. It means that you can only leave with the purpose of killing.

Did it imply that every time she had met her friends, every time she had laughed with then, hanged out with them… they were actually doing that as an obligation while they were planning the murder of somebody? Of a human?

This idea made her skin loose even more blood and her eyes went wide with horror. The sound that came out of her mouth was like a whimper, but Natsu heard the word nice and clear.

"Assassins…"

He smiled and said:

"Yes, I guess you can call them that too."

She fell back down on the sofa and started softly massaging her temples with her eyes closed.

"Why do I have to become such an assassin like the people here?" she asked in a whisper, so simply as if she was asking what the time was.

"Because otherwise you die." He replied just as simply.

She nodded for a long time thinking that she must've been just as mad as them if she was considering complying with their ways here.

"You're not serious, are you?" she said even though she had just nodded. "You can't do this. it's against the law."

"Well, yes, I'm serious and no, it's not against the law. Actually the government is supporting us pretty well. We're doing plenty of the dirty jobs they don't want to do, so why should they push us away when we're so valuable?" he raised his arms in the air as if his implied idea was so obvious.

"But you can't just take people from the street and force them to work for you!" she yelled, turned on by the idea of law. Even so, her eyes were watering.

"I don't want to do this! I want to be free!" she started crying. "I want to live a normal life, I want to _act_!"

"Then act like a nice girl and do what you're told. I already told you this, but you don't have a choice. Somebody paid a lot of money for you to be here, so we're going to teach you according to that generosity."

"How about treating? Are you going to treat me like a dog, locking me in a cage like the one back there?" she screamed thrusting her hand and pointing to the door.

"We don't like to befriend anybody here." came his reply. "So you're going to be treated like the rest of the people here."

"But-"

"And please stop addressing me with such a tone." He raised his voice at her. "From now on, you are to call me "President" like the rest do and you are to listen to everything that you are told by a superior. The first grade are the 'leaders', which became ones after advancing four positions from the one you are in yourself, the lowest." He narrowed his eyes. "Advancing can be done with both experience and the results inside the gates. The first and the second levels are not allowed to do fieldwork. In other words, until you reach the third level, you can't leave the base. After the 'leaders', the next grade are the 'coaches', the ones that will be your teachers. Next come the 'generals' and in the end there's me." he looked at her. "The President."

"Were you also chosen through advancing levels? Or were you given such a high position thanks to money?" she mocked angrily, already considering him a spoiled person. A rich singer, with probably not much talent, but to his salvation with looks, running a training base and bossing around… he was surely an excuse for a human.

"That is out of your concern." he hissed with his eyes even narrower.

"And what's your job?" she dared actually with curiosity.

"To help people like you to understand that in this place, you are no more valuable than a rat. And if you don't comply with our rules or survive our training, you are going to be dismissed."

She opened her mouth to complain, but then she remembered something that she had wanted to ask for a couple of minutes.

"One other thing. Gray said he's going to protect me. Protect me from what?"

"Goodness." he smiled a plain, sinister smile. "I wonder about that."

"And what do you mean _survive the training_? What the hell is going on around here?"

He rolled his eyes, already starting to get bored with her questions. Why in the world did he have to go through this with every single newbie? It was so difficult for him to control his hand when all he felt like doing was slapping those crushed expressions off of their faces.

"You'll find out soon enough."

"But I don't-"

"No more questions." he called out. "I gave you enough time of my own. Now it's your duty to be a nice student and if you do your job as well as we do ours, everything's going to go smoothly and everybody's going to be happy." And, with a fast, irritated move of his arm, he said: "Dismissed. From now on, you aren't going to be treated as nice. Nobody here cares that you're new."

She stared at him with wide eyes. Even though she didn't want to leave until she got more explanations, she was forced to, when a tall man dressed in black caught her arm and dragged her out the door. Lucy didn't have time to throw the President –she was going to have to call him this way from now on, even if she didn't want to- another glimpse and instead, she found herself in front of Levy. The tall man let go of her aching arm and left with a nod to Levy.

"So?" the blue haired girl asked crossing her arms. "How do you like this place so far?"

"I still can't believe what's happening to me." Lucy muttered surprising even herself with the honesty.

"You'll get used to it." the girl replied and she started walking in some direction. "We all did." she added.

"Since when have you been here?"

"Since I was 8. I was sold by my parents." She said nonchalantly, but she had a deep frown and she was staring into space as if she was suddenly remembering a distant memory.

"Sold?" Lucy asked surprised, also trying to change the subject for her friend. "I was told somebody paid for me to be here!"

Levy shrugged her shoulders.

"Either they considered you so necessary _inside here_, so we were making them a service by training you, either 'somebody' is actually 'somebody' from the inside, which is more credible."

"Somebody from the inside?" Lucy asked amazed. "Somebody from _this place_ wants me here so they paid?"

"I don't know." came Levy's short reply.

They veered left and entered another hall. Lucy looked around curiously for the first time. They were going through something similar to tunnels made of stone, barely lit up by weak torches, and it gave you a feeling of catacombs. She felt shivers at her back when the thought entered her head, threatening to creep her out even more than she already was. Once at 150 feet there were one-square-meter eyelets that allowed the sunlight to enter the tunnels. The eyelets were carefully traced by thick black bars, making them look like gully holes. It was surprisingly clean and Lucy couldn't see any spider web or insect to begin with.

"Where are we going?" the blonde wondered out loud.

Levy followed with her eyes a group of teenagers –their age- passing by them while laughing and only after a few minutes she answered Lucy's question.

"We're having a meeting in the training hall."

"Meeting? What kind of meeting?"

"You know, the speech before training, training… the usual. The newbie's are going to be 'introduced', which is like a special occasion for the rest of us since the coaches' attention isn't going to be focused on us for a couple of days."

Lucy didn't seem to understand what's so good about that, so Levy explained.

"Listen, Lucy. All your life you've been working hard to get where you are right now – I mean, where you were before- , but for a few years now, you've been in clover. You can't seem to understand that life is not going to be as generous as it has been, alright?"

Lucy was wearing a cute frown, concentrating on the girl's words aware that they might be very important if she intended to 'survive' in this place.

Levy opened her mouth to continue, to tell her about the cruelty of the coaches', but she eventually gave up and decided that it was best to let Lucy find out on her own skin.

A few minutes later, Lucy entered an _enormous_ room, the training hall, which was wearing its name with pride. The rough walls were filled with girders, tiny bricks coming out, bars of metal, wires hanging from the ceiling, and they all together made _no_ sense to the amazed Lucy. At a specific height, there were big holes dug into the stone, 'resting caves', as Lucy started calling them when she figured all those objects were part of some kind of impossible training. In the middle of the room there were a tall pillar and two other identical ones on its sides, at equal intervals. She saw a girl jump from the one on the right to the one in the middle; she misses it by inches and Lucy's heart runs crazily. But the girl recovers immediately, catching a handle –that she hadn't even noticed- popping out of the wood, balancing on it a little and then jumping up, climbing and landing on top of the ten-inches-wide pillar as if she hadn't just fallen from a 65-feet height. The courage of this girl shocked Lucy, but then she looked at the other people in the training hall, some making the tracks along the walls, some exercising with the weights, the treadmills and other things she hadn't ever seen before, and she realized with shock that this was what these people were doing in their spare time.

For fun.

There were mostly teenagers here –people her age. Her wide eyes followed some of them jumping like young Tarzan's from wire to wire, successfully accomplishing challenges that they seemed to be giving each other. Some gave each other hi-fives and grins, barely sweating after a whole track, while others were socializing on the resting caves like they simply sat on benches, not a care in the world for the height.

Lucy suddenly realized Levy wasn't beside her anymore. Her eyes rolled along the people on the ground –literally- and she eventually spotted her in the middle of a group of kids around eighteen years old. She herself was seventeen, but she now felt like 6 in front of all those huge, muscular people. She made eye-contact with Levy and the girl frowned while her lips were moving. The rest of the people in her group looked in Lucy's direction. In normal conditions, she would've smiled shyly, but now she just stood there, pale and dumb-founded, looking for reliance in that sea of intimidation.

But reliance from Levy never came. Instead, a timid, small girl approached her with hesitating steps. When their eyes met, the girl smiled and thrust her hand forward.

"Hi there! I'm Thayla."

Lucy looked at her hand and noticed it was trembling. Was this girl also new? She seemed to be just as scared as Lucy, but was doing a better job trying to hide it. She had straight black hair reaching her shoulders and light blue eyes. She seemed like a nice person.

"Lucy." she shook her hand.

"Weird place here, huh."

"You're also new?"

"_Also_?" Thayla asked a little surprised. "I didn't know you were new. Have you been here before? You look pretty accustomed."

"No, this is my first time here." Lucy cracked a smile. It seemed like her acting skills were better than she thought, even if she hadn't necessarily intended to use them.  
"Oh." Thayla replied shortly. "And, to answer your question, yes, I'm a newbie." She rubbed the back of her head trying a forceful laugh. It eventually died off when she realized it hadn't been funny in the first place. Lucy could see that her whole body was shaking. She seemed freaked out.

She approached her neared.

"How did you get here?" she asked with a frown.

Thayla's eyes saddened and Lucy could read on her lips the word 'sold', but she couldn't hear it because of the noise of the huge entrance doors suddenly closing. The blonde had the impulse to cover her ears from the heavy creak hitting each wall in an echo. She turned around and faced the scene.

She was surprised to see a few faces that hadn't been there before. She could notice this detail due to the age of those people. There was a short, muscular woman with her hair cut like a man's and two older men, wearing beards and so, standing out among the teenagers. One of them was smoking a cigarette and the other one wore a large hat, something similar to a cowboy's. Lucy immediately thought that they must've been the coaches.

Before the doors would close completely, three boys slipped through the gap laughing and then they closed, not allowing anybody to enter or to leave. What they all had in common was that their bodies were tall and muscular and they seemed to be in a good mood, but the resemblance stopped there.

"Gajeel! Loke! Jellal!" yelled the woman coach. Lucy immediately gave her the nickname 'bald woman', just to tell people apart until she got to know them. "Late again!"

"Sorry coach!" a dark haired one with a lot of piercings said grinning over his shoulder, still running along with his buds towards the crowd of trainees.

Lucy looked at them as they had obviously awakened her interest. She watched them melt through the people until she couldn't see them anymore.

The man with the cigarette lifted his hand and silence fell over the crowd. Nobody shifted anymore. Lucy felt her muscles all flexed and she could barely breathe with nervousness. She had no idea what was going to happen. All she knew was what she heard from Gray and Levy – and those were only bad news. On top of that, she had somehow ended up in the front road while that girl Thayla had managed to shift as back as her shortness could allow so she could still see. Her rushed heartbeats were all that she could hear for the moment.

Then the man took his cigarette between his fingers and the deep tone of his voice echoed in the hall.

"Good evening, trainees of the BLS."

He put his hands at his back and Lucy's nose was suddenly struck by the smell of his cigarette. She grimaced.

"For those of you who don't know, BLS stands for the Bird's Last Song and it is our base's name."

He walked slowly on a trace parallel to the trainees' formation and that was when Lucy noticed they were in a _formation_. She shifted nervously so she could stand right so she wouldn't break the perfect line they were making. She sound of her heels stepping on the stone made a weak but sharp sound which echoed uncontrollably in the deep silence. She felt the blood rush in her cheeks as many people looked at her without moving their heads, without moving at all. She now regretted having word her hills the last time she had been outside. Actually, she was the only one wearing clothes so colorful and she guessed the ones wearing colors different that _black_ were the newbie's. Then before she could lower her head and bite her lip wishing she would die with embarrassment, she saw the coach throwing her a glare.

But he pretended not to see anything, to Lucy's relief.

"As you know, those 'ones of you' have gathered in the past month, deciding to join our base as beginners."

He had made it sound like it was their own decision and Lucy felt like she already hated him for that.

"Today we welcome them among us."

The majority started clapping and cheering for them, the beginners, but there were some who didn't react at all, keeping their rigid looks upon the coaches with a feeling of rebellion even against this small act. Lucy guessed that they were those people who, no matter for how long having been there, they couldn't agree to this base's ways and purposes and only did so to survive. Again, she asked her what 'surviving' meant.

"Your presentation for BLS has been already done by our President, so there is no need for any further introduction."

The coaches suddenly grin all at once.

"Well, not the theoretical introduction. But we cannot forget the traditions our ancestors at BLS have left for us to follow. By token, I now pronounce the beginning of our yearly Input!"

This time, the whole crowd except for the beginners jumped high up enthusiastically and started yelling and beating their chests with their fists. Lucy stood there confused at their devilish grins and held her fists together waiting freaked out for something to happen.

"You might want to take those off."

She turned around and looked at one of those guys that had come in late, pointing to her shoes. She turned as red as a tomato and nodded before asking:

"W-What for? I don't understand what's happening."

She noticed he had orange, ruffled hair and a pair of kind dark eyes.

"They gather the beginners signed up during the previous month and introduce them all at once. We do that every month. But once in a year, the beginners gathered in August have bad luck because that's when we have the Input, a kind of special occasion when they completely make fun of the newbie's. I'm sorry for you, but you're gonna be totally tortured." he threw her a fake sheepish grin.

So, Lucy thought, I'm having bad luck.

Her face was probably looking crushed, because the orange haired guy immediately said:

"B-But it's going to be over in a few days and it might be even fun if you look at it the right way!"

"Yeah. Thanks for the encouragement." Lucy said sarcastically feeling a lump in her throat.

"Sorry, I'm no good at this kind of stuff." He rubbed the back of his head. "By the way, my name's Loke."

"I'm Lucy." she tried to smile.

Before she could say anything else, the man with the huge hat made silence with a little swearing and then said:

"Alright, you assholes, we need a volunteer for the first stage in the Input! Anybody ready for a little acrophobia?"

"What's acrophobia?" Lucy asked in Loke's direction, but unfortunately it seemed that the hat coach had badass hearing senses and his eyes immediately sat on Lucy, a grin blooming on his wrinkled face. Lucy's face at first turns red and then turns completely white as she already knew what was going to come next.

"You wanna know what acrophobia is, you little newbie rascals?" he asks them, but his eyes don't part with Lucy's.

"Well how about you show us a little demonstration there, Blondie-on-heels."

Lucy froze.

…

_Damn. I guess I just volunteered._

**There you go, my darlings! I really really hoped you liked this chapter! If you liked it, drop a review so I could know how fast I'm going to have to write to following one!**

**Thanks for reading!**

**Bye-bye!**


	3. The Strength of an Actress

**Hello! Thank you those who reviewed! Special reply to Guest: I'm really sorry, but that's the magic in mystery. I can't tell you that yet, but you will find out as the story goes on. I hostly want to tell you, but then I'd ruin everything.**

**Please enjoy this chapter!**

**Lucy's POV.**

It probably took my mouth a couple of minutes to close and even more for the color of my skin to become normal again.

I tighten my fist and feel like even though I'm curious about the other's looks upon myself, I can't take my eyes off of the 65-feet tall pillar. The wood has a light color of brown and from place to place, there are small black boards of metal sustaining its body. Nothing out of the ordinary. But then again, what am I supposed to do with it?

"I have to… _climb_ it?" I ask and notice my voice came out shakily and weak and I wonder if anybody even heard me.

"Why… were you expecting an _elevator_ to take you to the top? Of course you have to climb it!"

I can't even to bring myself to bite my lip due to the shock. I surprise myself asking the most stupid and obvious question:

"No harness?"

I hear some giggles behind me, probably from the group of 'superiors', the ones who now consider what I am forced to do kid play.

"I mean, "I correct myself embarrassed feeling how the blood rushes in my cheeks. "What happens if I fall?"

"Well, it depends." The bald woman mocks with me. "You can break a few bones, but if you prefer, you can die."

I freeze and think for the thousandth time that these people are mad. Crazy, diabolical and out-of-the-law. This is what this place is like. For a moment, I imagine myself out of the base, in front of the government representative, telling him about BLS and all their dangerous activities. What would I tell them? That they have all kinds of stuff on the walls that build the trainees' muscles and also represents a fun way of spending their free time? That they made the newbie's suffer a cruel humiliation by going through a strength test? That they made me climb a pillar?

Out of the blue, the speech isn't so sparkly anymore.

I press my lips together. Am I really going to look so bad even inside my own speeches?

I think that it depends on how I look at things. Well, right now what I see is a _huge_ thing of wood that I'm supposed to climb before the mocking stares of the coaches' and trainees'. Sounds kinda scary.

I step off of my heels. I carefully put them away and take a last look at the people behind me. Their eyes are saying obvious things like "She won't do it. She'll fall." or "She looks so ridiculous!" The newbie's were saying "Poor her. I'm glad I'm not in her shoes."

I frown and look at the pillar one more time. It starts to piss me off the fact that these people think I'm so weak. And that I actually believe them. I spot some tiny handles at the top. The same handles- only looking bigger- are here, at the bottom, too. I grit my teeth.

Damn, it can't be that hard.

Only after I wipe my hands on my shorts I realize I've been sweating and shaking like a pig. Maybe pigs don't shake. But that is not what I have to think of right now.

I straighten my back and put on a brave face in front of everybody. Sometimes I am surprised to see how much my acting skills are of use in the real life. But my acting skills still can't stop the trembling of my hands and knees.

I walk to the pillar and study it a moment longer before I look for the first handle to grip. I find it and then look for support for my foot. I step on the edge of a board supporting the bottom and keeping the entire pillar in place. Some snickers can be heard when my foot slips and I along with it. My cheeks are burning.

I try it again, this time slower and more carefully. I feel I'm slipping again, but I'm ready to place it higher. I'm beginning to get it. I keep searching for handles to hold unto and step on and a few times I am forced to spin around the pillar to find them. I thrust my hand high above my head and a drop of sweat slips down my temple. My heart is running wild and by breathing has turned into an abrupt panting. As I climb higher, I notice my feet tend to slip alongside the wood instead of simply parting with a handle and lifting through the air. It must be because even if I can't see where I stand, my conscious knows it and so does my body. I'm trembling really hard and I try not to think about this anymore. I just look at my goal: the top of the pillar.

Catch handle, step on handle, thrust for handle, catch handle and so on. I'm starting to get really scared. And my hands and feet are very tired. I feel the pain in my muscles throbbing. I can't stop a glimpse of my curious eyes be thrown over my shoulder.

Suddenly I freeze and my heart climbs up in my throat. I widen my eyes and watch the drop of sweat falling off of the top of my nose and going down, down, until I can't see it anymore and it probably splashes against the floor. The trainees are small. Not as smalls as you would see them from a helicopter, but small so you could know that you're high enough to be seriously injured if you fall down.

I turn my look away from the ground still panting. My feet hurt. But I don't feel any better even after I stopped climbing for a moment of rest. I know that the more I am up here, the less are my arms and legs going to resist. I try to go on, but I can't seem to be able to move. My arms are tangled around the pillar. I really can't move. I bite my lip and try to lift my left foot. But no matter how much I want to, I can't move. I can't move. I can't move.

I shut my eyes tightly and I'm trembling ten times stronger than before.

I shouldn't have looked down.

_Come_ _on_. I huff through my gritted teeth. _Show those bastards that you aren't weak. Show them what an actress can do_. My face is wet but I'm not sure if it's because of the sweat or the tears that started falling. _No! Don't cry! Don't let them think they're right_.

"Go, Lucy!"

I glimpse surprised over my shoulder and see the orange haired guy – Loke, I think it was- hold his palms around his mouth. As soon as my sight hits the ground, I turn white again and throw my eyes back upon the pillar. My heart beats crazily, but I'm a little encouraged. I didn't know there were nice people around here. It's really silent next, and I still can't loosen my grip around the pillar.

"You can do it, Lucy!" a shy, high pitched voice can be heard. It's Thayla, isn't it? I just met her, but I can recognize her voice already. I crack a smile even though they can't see me. I breathe deeply. She's right. I can do this.

I can _do_ this, baby!

I still don't loosen the pressure against the wood, but my hand slips carefully a few centimeters. It then slips more, and I grip the next handle. The cold metal meets my sweaty hand with shivers and adrenaline towards my body.

_I'm gonna _rock_ this little piece of wood!_

I try not to think how much _not_ little it is, and my left foot is next. The following moment, I push my body higher. A weak wave of cheering breaks from some people in the crowd.

I smirk, thinking that I did a pretty good job proving them wrong. I'm not weak. Maybe I'm not strong yet. But I'm not weak.

I freeze for a moment, realizing that inside my mind, for the split of a second I thought I'm going to actually do my best in this training. I thought that I'm going to _remain_ here. I shake this idea out of my mind. No way. This place is still crazy and I intend to take advantage of the first opportunity to get my butt out of this place.

I continue climbing higher and higher and after some time, I need to stop again to catch my breath. I never thought this would be so exhausting. I'm trembling so hard that I need to gather all my courage to go on. I look at the top of the pillar, which is now only three meters away, and see that it's shaking. So it wasn't only me. Somehow this idea doesn't make me feel any calmer. I shorten my break and push myself further.

My trembling hands catch the opposite side of the top's platform and I rest on my elbows.

I made it.

I don't know what I'm waiting for. Maybe a round of applause from the tiny group on the ground. Maybe a praise – or more like a displeased frown- from a coach. But the silence is so deep that I can't help wonder what I've done wrong. While I'm catching my breath and calming down the beatings of my heart – since I can't stop my trembling no matter what-, I wait.

In the end, two minutes pass and I feel the need to ask:

"Now what?"

My voice isn't as shaky as I thought it'd be. Actually it sounded pretty tough and brave and the echo effect only makes it better.

I think I see the cigarette coach shrug his shoulders, but I'm not sure.

"Climb up."

"O-on top?" No matter how courageous I was a moment ago, now I'm just shocked and freaked out.

I can't do this. I _can't_ do this. No, I don't think you understand. This, I _can't_ do. Nope. Nada. No way.

Dang. I have to do it, don't I?

I decide that I'm just going to do it without thinking. It's like jumping. It takes a lot of courage, but if you just do it fast, it's actually easy.

But when I look at the platform, my mind goes blank. I can't do it after all. It will obviously be something done without thinking, because if I stop and think I realize that I've got no idea how somebody can climb on something so narrow without holding unto anything!

I climb on the highest handles and the platform is at the level of my thighs. My hands are holding the edge of the platform as if my life depended on it. Well… it kinda _does_ depend on it, now that I think about it. I try to figure how I could end up standing on top of the pillar and not laying at the bottom of it, dead.

"Has anyone done this before?" I call out loud.

Many people nod, but I can't see them. All I see is the circle of the platform between my hands.

"Of course." The bald woman answers.

"Are they still alive?" I ask after a while.

The answer doesn't come and even though I know they're doing this to scare the heck out of me and people have surely survived, well, I'm still scared. I huff through my gritted teeth and try to calm down. I breathe in and then huff. I do this a couple of times until I feel like I am ready to lift a leg.

My bare foot slips along the wood. The pillar starts shaking uncontrollably because of the sudden move and I shoot my leg back on the handle, being freaked out. Back in my head, I keep saying that I'm going to fall and die. I'm so scared and there's nothing I can do!

But I figure something helpful: I'm not going to hold onto nothing. I'm going to hold onto the platform. I draw my foot again and place my knee, this time with a little more confidence. I find it a steady position and calm down a lot. I draw the other foot as well and place it instead of the knee. Alright. I did it so far. Now what?

I take my time holding tight the platform until my knuckles turn white and my fingers red. The pillar is shaking. It's shaking so hard, I keep feeling like any minute now I'm going to fall. On top of that, my muscles hurt. The only thing helping me go on is the adrenaline. And me knowing I don't have another choice.

Acrophobia. Fear of heights.

I don't know if I have acrophobia; I probably don't since I made it this far. But right now, I feel like anything would be less scary than being here, on top of a shaking pillar.

I remember that girl that I saw before jumping from another pillar to the one that I'm trying to stand on right now. She jumped like she had done it hundreds of times before. Like it was nothing. And now I'm scared of just rising up.

Since when have I been afraid of rising up? All my life, ever since I remember, being in an orphanage and reaching to the point of being a pretty well known actress, I've been rising up.

_Damn_. I grit my teeth and do it.

My right leg straightens as I lift my body and the other foot treads on the platform. My eyes are wide. I did it.

I did it.

I made it to the top. And then I stood up. I didn't fall down.

I huff, this time with shock and delight. I'm smiling. Inside my chest there's a powerful feeling of accomplishment, but there's something else, too. I open my eyes wider enthusiastically and look around. I'm on the very top of everything.

"WOOOHOOOO!" I suddenly yell. The echo of my voice hits the walls and climbs down until it reaches the trainees' ears. They all seem to like my attitude and reply with shouts and cheering.

I'm still deep, far in amazement. _This_ is how it feels to do things this dangerous? Trembling from top to toe but feeling like you're _alive_? Well I never expected me to like it. I can't believe it.

"Well done, Blondie-on-heels." The hat coach calls over, above the noise of the crowd, all drawn into my energy and adrenaline. It's like they are standing themselves on pillars. And that is when I realize that they had _all_ done it before. And now it's the newbie's' turn to do it.

"Do I climb down now?" I ask. Even though I love this feeling, the pillar is still shaking like crazy and I still want the ground more.

"Nope." The coach replies with a grin. I freeze.

Wait. What?

"First, you're going to have to climb higher."

I look at him with a pale face and all my enthusiasm is gone. I should've known from the beginning these bastards aren't going to let me off so easily. Even if this wasn't easy at all. It was actually so difficult that I still need to rest my legs and arms before I could climb anything soon.

"Climb… where?" I ask. The pillar is over, if I'm not wrong.

The coach points to the ceiling and my head lifts slowly. Above my head, the senseless wires are hanging, both extremities caught into the ceiling. And suddenly, they aren't so senseless anymore.

I have to jump.

All around me, there are U's made by the wires and the distance between then isn't that big. And I have to jump.

I spot the closest wire, shift slowly, very slowly on the platform so I can face it without problems, and wonder why I'm even doing this.

"And then, go where?" I figure I have to jump from wire to wire until I arrive someplace.

"Well, down is your destination."

I don't look at him. Since I can't just drop myself down, I probably have to get to one of the trailers on the walls and climb down. I look around for a couple of minutes and eventually decide over the trailer looking the easiest. Unfortunately, it's on the opposite direction I will jump to, so I will have to swing more.

I know. I will try to make it look like a role. If this was an act, I'd feel much more secure and confident. So who will I be? Tarzan? I can't, because I'm a serious actress and in that case I would have to copy his body position and expression. Instead, I can be Jane, who surely has done the same activities as her husband, right?

Unless… I frown. Unless they _didn't_ get married. I can't remember the story. I shake my head and concentrate. Alright. I can do this. Even though I'm almost peeing my pants with fear… Exit Lucy Mode.

Enter: Jane Mode.

I bend my knees and get ready to jump. I hesitated and then straighten my legs. I can't do it.

Alright, one more time. I bend my knees. My hands are ready to catch that blue wire, not too thin, not too thick. Just perfect. Perfect for my hands to catch.

I can do it. I _almost_ do it. But with a huff I give up once again. This is _hard_.

Ok, the third time's with luck. And honestly, I _would've_ jumped. But somebody says something.

"I heard that someone paid a lot of money for you to be here." I freeze, surprised.

I look down. Everybody's looks are upon me, so I guess the sentence was, indeed, addressed to me. The rest of the people look just as surprised as I am. It was one of the coaches speaking. A pause of silence falls in.

"Let's not put all that sum for a waste, you agree?"

"What's your point?" I ask a little hoarse.

"I'm telling you not to die."

I wait, surprised.

"Yeah, that kinda was my intention."

"In that case, you will happily receive a little advice."

It seemed like it took him a lot of effort to speak that sentence, but now he had a serious expression on his face.

"Take your time."

I would've said that it was obvious to begin with; but the way he is looking at me and the way he said it made me nod and receive it as something that my life depends on. Take my time. Alright. I can't ask him to be a little more precise, so I might as well rest a little more.

I can't help but feel a little thankful, still being scared of jumping. While I secretly wonder what he could've really meant by that, the crowd seems to be getting bored. At least, it's the first time I notice most of them aren't paying attention to me at all. It surprises me to see how they are talking and playing with each other while I'm doing something so dangerous up here. So they think I'm boring? I breathe in and out and then wait a minute longer and decide to jump. I flex my muscles and picture myself catching the wire. Like Jane. I trick myself repeating that I've done this many times before and survived each one, obviously. It doesn't work, though. I just continue breathing trying to take control over my heart again.

And then, I just stop thinking and do it. My feet leave the platform and for a short moment I'm in midair. A short scream escapes my mouth. It happens amazingly fast, but I see it as if it were in slow motion. My hands are thrust above my head, but only the fingers from my left hand catch it. I feel the whole weight of my body pushing forth the springy wire and while my whole body is highly strung, I feel my fingers slowly slip. My eyes are wide. A second before my hand slips completely, I catch the wire with my right hand and then grip it with my whole might.

Panting, I suddenly understand why I was advised to take my time. I am exhausted. My arms still ache from the climb and if I would've jumped any sooner, I would've definitely fallen down. While swinging back and forth in the air, I realize I almost missed the wire not because it was too high or too far away, but because my hands are too tired for the effort of holding the entire weight of my body. And now, I know that if I don't move fast, I'm going to fall.

I'm trying to take deep breaths and gather my strength for catching the next wire. I'm not swinging so widely anymore, so I won't be able to take it that easily unless I force a little. It only takes me a few seconds to understand that I will have to prepare moving on to the following wire as soon as I land on the previous one. I move my legs forth and then back until I start swinging hard. I free one hand and try to catch the next cable. I miss it by inches. I repeat the move and this time, I succeed. I free the other hand and do the same for each one.

After two minutes, I feel like any second now I'm going to just slip down. I can't take it any longer. I've never been this exhausted and I can't even take a break. I can't stop. I look at the next wire and I can't even see clearly anymore. I see dark spots. I'm panting so heavily that the whole crowd can probably hear me. But I don't care. I don't care about anything. I just want to rest. I'm even starting to wonder if I'd really die if I fell from this height. Falling is suddenly a possibility.

I'm getting close to the wall. Just a few wires away. My arms are shaking and my fingers are completely white. I can't feel them anymore.

Out of the blue, one hand slips. Some screams and gasps can be heard from the trainees. It seems they're paying attention to me again. I try to catch the wire, but I can't. I can barely lift the hand again. But I _must_. I must reach it or I'll die. My lungs are burning and the sweat if falling off of me as if I just came out of a pool. I see blurrily. I can't take it anymore. My hand is slowly relaxing and for a moment I feel like I'm going to fall when I remember that I have to _live_ and tighten my grip. My teeth are smashing themselves and I gulp, then my mouth opens wide and I continue panting with panic.

"I can't…" I gasp. "I can't do it. I can't go on."

I thought I would be able to do it. I thought that no matter how much effort it is, my pride would feed me with energy. But I was wrong. I need help.

The coaches heard me, but for a while, they aren't saying anything.

"Please…" I whimper shakily looking exactly at my white, trembling fingers. "Please…" I say again, feeling tears gather in my eyes.

"What should we do?" somebody asks silently but I can hear it. I wonder why they're even questioning this. Were they really intending to let me die here? Weren't they just trying to scare us newbie's? Someone hesitates and then says: "I'm going up to get her."

I don't know why I was imagining they would get me with a helicopter, elevator, or who knows what else. But I can clearly hear the sound of someone climbing a pillar. So they're coming the same way that I came.

My cheeks are traced by silent tears. On top of this being embarrassing, being in the need for a rescue, I still feel like I can fall any second now. I push myself to catch the wire with both hands, promising myself that this is the last effort I'm making. I grit my teeth and it's so hard that I feel the pulse in my temples booming like drums. I let out a yell and I manage to grip it. It feels a lot better, but I'm starting not to feel my whole arms. Even my breath is shaking uncontrollably.

_Hurry, hurry, hurry, please!_ I beg the person coming to save me in my head. Half of me doesn't want to give up, but the other half is still rational and it seems to be a lot stronger. Even though I feel like I can't take it any longer, I decide to be a little helpful and get closer to the wall.

I glimpse at the pillar that I had climbed on and I realize the person coming to my rescue is climbing the one on the left, to which I had gotten closer through the wires. I could only see his black uniform, so I can't tell if it's one of the coaches. I kinda don't want that, though. I rather it was a trainee. Instead of approaching the pillar, I decide to stick to my new plan and approach the wall. I breathe heavily and swing back and forth, back and forth, and then I can't feel my arms when I catch the next wire, which is a little higher than the others – they aren't on the same level and I've actually gained height since I've left the platform of the pillar. I push my limits and do that again for the next wire, which I almost miss. Also for the one following and then, finally, for the last wire. To my great delight, after one more jump there's a resting cave which I now love ten times stronger.

I don't move wondering how I'm going to pass through this one last obstacle. The resting cave's irregular platform is lower than my own height and I can bet on whatever you want that it's going to hurt no matter how I fall. I think I'm just jumping and that's it. The question is, do I have enough strength to make it through the last distance? This time I'll have to swing harder to make sure I'm landing on the good spot.

I do the same process to gain speed and then… I let go. This is it. I either land, either die. One of two.

I instinctively close my eyes. It all happens in the split of a second. I mean, I only just let go of the wire and what I feel is neither the rock, neither the…rock. I feel a strong hand grip my arm and after I fall the quarter of an imaginary circle, I stop in mid air, balancing with my eyes closed. I then open them shocked and what I see is the President holding both of us in one hand, hanging on one of the sea of wires. His face is lightly grimaced from the effort, but he's barely sweaty at all. His salmon hair seems messier from this bottom point of view.

I then understand that he was the one who came for me and he got all the way here in less than five minutes while it probably took me half an hour or more. I seemed to have judged him wrongly. He probably _is_ worthy of his title.

I blink, breaking out of my train of thought when he huffs:

"Don't be stupid. You can't possibly land inside the shelter from all over the cables. Someone else may be able to, but not a newbie."

And with that, he lifts me up grimacing harder and trembling from the effort. The last thing I want to think about is how heavy I am, but I'm a girl, so yeah.

"I want you to hold onto me as tightly as you can."

I eye him surprised. He wants me to hug him.

"Come on, I can't lift you until you reach the wires!" he hurries me with his teeth gritted and I can see how he's getting very red. I wrap an arm around him and he lets go of my other arm. I fall a few centimeters and I end up holding his waist with all my might. I'm too tired to hug somebody, but since my life is depending of it, I don't really have a choice. I'm actually gripping so tightly, I can feel the pain pulsating in my skin. And I'm also giving him hard time breathing. I don't look, but I feel him swinging from wire to wire as if we weighted next to nothing. It only takes a few seconds for him to hang above the platform of a pillar.

A few gasps break free from the crowd.

"President, I don't think that a good idea." The bald woman says, a note of worry in her voice. "Don't forget that you also carry the girl."

I'm surprised to hear the coach getting troubled over something, even more surprised for that thing to be the President's well being, and most surprised to guess what the President's intentions are. He doesn't reply and instead addresses me:

"Can you… climb higher on me?"

I notice a hint of embarrassment in his voice.

I can try to, but instead I say:

"I don't think so." But then I add fast: "I'm sorry."

"Then hold tighter than you've ever held anything in your entire life. "

I do so, squeezing his inners and wondering what he's about to do.

"And don't take my pants off." he adds.

For a short moment, I feel us falling through the air, and then his body suddenly stops on the platform, he bends his knees and diminishes the impact. But I kept falling and I scratch my legs due to the closeness of the wood. My knee hits a handle, the shock spreads pain and I can't feel it for a few moments. But all this happens in a bare second. The moment he stopped falling and I continued doing so, I felt the inaction dragging me lower on his body and for a moment I think I'm going to fall. I immediately understand why he told me not to take his pants off. Before going one centimeter lower, his hand stuffs with strength in my shirt and he's holding me still.

I'm safe.

"Get the handles." he tells me nonchalantly.

I search with my shaking hand for them popping out of the wood. I'm trembling so hard. I eventually find one, and then another one for my foot, and in the end I'm off of him. Just when I'm wondering if he's going to send me down on my own, he climbs down to my own level and I feel his arm circling my waist. He tells me to hold onto him again and before he even finishes his sentence, I'm clinging on his neck like a locked necklace. He doesn't climb down the way I expected him to and instead he takes a specific position and slips down the pillar.

I feel the air rushing towards my forehead. The rest of my face is buried in the carving between his shoulder and neck.

He immediately steps on the ground and as soon as I feel I'm safe from any other danger, I loosen my grip and take a few dizzy steps backwards. I look at the President and intend to thank him. But all I know is that my ears are buzzing horribly and I'm too dizzy to stand.

Then everything goes black.

I wake up only a few minutes afterwards and there are many people gathered above me. One of them is Thayla. Oh, and that Loke guy also! I smile weakly and they also smile relieved.

"Thank goodness you're ok." Thayla whispers, but I'm still a little pissed at her because she had left me alone in the front road. I'm gonna forgive her though, because she encouraged me when I needed it most.

I rise up slowly and I get dizzy again, but this time, I'm feeling much better, even though inside my chest there's a strong beginning of embarrassment. I probably look like a loser and this saddens me. My whole body aches, but I feel like I've just woken up from a good sleep. The first thing I do is look around. Some people who include Loke and his two friends, Thayla, Levy –whom I only see now- and others, are all around me, and the rest are minding their own business. When the last ones see that I'm awake, they grin widely and approach me noisily. They start clapping and shouting things like: "She's awake! Good job, Blondie!" or "You were very good up there". I'm surprised because I was expecting the opposite of the praising. I _did_ give up half way, didn't I?

I suddenly spot Natsu Dragneel –sorry, the _President_- looking at me with a serious face. I must look really confused and shocked, because he says, addressing us all:

"A truly strong person is the one who knows his own weaknesses and when to stop." he then shakes his head. "It's not a shameful thing that you needed help."

I look down at my bare feet, surprised that he had read me so well. Everybody is silent. It seems that when he's talking, even the coaches listen.

And this reminds me that I have no idea when the President entered the Training hall. He obviously hadn't been here before I started climbing.

"Alright! Everyone gather up! We're going on with the training!" the cigarette coach called out and everybody obeyed right away. I limped off towards the back of the formation –I've learned my lesson. In front of me there's a tall girl with red hair and it only takes me one moment to recognize her as the one whom I had seen jumping from pillar to pillar. I look at her with wide, admiring eyes. And I can't help but feel a little proud myself for having done something almost as dangerous as her. I don't know how she knew I was looking at her, or maybe it's only just a coincidence, but she suddenly turns around and glares at me, reminding me of that leader that had taken Gray after me to the President's office –I suppose- a couple of hours ago. I'm confused as to why she seems so displeased with me. Did I do anything to upset her?

"Good job up there, Blondie." she says in a mocking tone, confusing me even more. "You managed to look like a chicken ready to fly off." she rolls her eyes "You actually had to be saved by the President himself."

I frown and if I weren't a lady in pain, I would've wanted to punch her in the face.

"Didn't you hear what he just said?" I ask pissed off. "I have my own limitations! And he said himself that it's alright!"

"Oh, so you're just going to hide behind his back like a little chicken?"

A moment ago I had looked at her admiringly, but now I see she's just a jealous little chick. It's easy for me to tell because I'm an actress. I grimace and fix her with my eyes. I get closer to her and say softly, almost in a whisper:

"Next time all you have to do is pretend to fall if you want to be helped by _him_ that much."

She doesn't move, but I can see her cheeks coloring. Jackpot.

She shots her body back in position and I can see she's boiling with anger. I pout and feel the need to kick her while she isn't looking at me.

But I just stand still and look at the coaches that had started saying something while we were still talking.

"Now you kiddos saw what it means to be training here. I except the very best from each and every one of you." the bald woman says.

"Are we going to have to do that as well?" somebody asks.

"Of course. What'd you expect? Tomorrow, another volunteer will have the same task as the one from today."

The coach with the hat bursts out laughing heavily.

"Yeah, we're very happy to see how willing our trainees are to volunteer."

"Har har." I mutter.

"Actually, Nick" the bald woman smirks. "They aren't trainees yet."

So the hat coach's name is Nick.

He grins and looks at us.

"Indeed. That is what the Input is for. Lucky August newbie's will have to go through a test to see if they're really worth being trainees here. Elimination is in only one direction: death. So if you intend to stay alive, you better pass the test."

"This isn't fair! Why is it only us from August?" a boy yells scared. I look at him and can't help but feel a little pity. I might seem to be able to go through all of this easier than him. Probably because I've already had a taste of what it feels like.

Well, it's not like I intend to stay, so…

But then, I suddenly question myself, what _do_ I intend to do? Do I intend to escape? In that case, how? These people are professional, it's not like they're keeping us in a base with half-assed security system.

"Well, in the case of the other newbie's, they're not having an examination, indeed. But that only means that they're being eliminated during the training because they can't put up with it. In other words, they fail by dying later than us." Somebody else from the trainees explains.

A shiver spreads in my body.

"What do we have to do to pass the Input?" Thayla asks shyly.

"Yeah, do we only have to do, like, what Blondie did today?"

"Name's Lucy!" I call out loud.

"What" the cigarette coach begins making silence over the murmur that started. "makes you think that Blondie passed the test today?"

Wait, I was _tested_? WAIT, I _didn't_ pass the test? I turn to stone. My face loses color.

Everybody goes silent.

I didn't pass the test? I'm going to _die_?

"Yet." the President suddenly barges into our conversation. Everybody looks at him. _I_ look at him. And I see his gallant figure, his wide chest, his ruffled hair. I see the thin line of his nose and his furrowed eyebrows above his onyx eyes looking at Nick toughly.

"She didn't pass the test _yet_."

"What is your point, Dragneel?"

"Mr. President for you." he replies coldly and Nick twitches a muscle on his cheek. "And my point is, that in normal conditions Lucy would've died. _We_ would've left her to die."

"But you didn't 'cause somebody paid a lot of money for her." somebody interrupts him sarcastically.

The President eyes him and in a second, he pulls that person from the front road, forces his arm at his back, his joint close to his neck, I don't have time to understand what follows next and the boy is laying on the ground with his arm in that very painful position. He lets out a yell and everybody looks wide-eyed at our –I mean their- President keeping him still with a knee jabbed between his ribs.

"That is _not_ the way we treat our students here." Natsu Dragneel says between his teeth. "Do you want to know why they die if they fail the test? Because if we afforded to keep losers like them consume our time and energy and then sent them in missions, they fail and get caught. And guess which secret base is uncovered then? Our regulations tell us we have to execute the traitors. In the end, they either get killed when uncovered, either get killed by our hands. I say it's more honorable dying knowing that you haven't done anything wrong to the base than dying as a failure or a traitor."

I grit my teeth. This is the stupidest excuse I've ever heard. If they're so troubled about the way their trainees die, then why do they take them in the first place?! And if I were a trainee doing fieldwork, I'd do whatever I could to take down this stupid base, even with the price of my own life. I dare not say a word, though, so I just stand there boiling with frustration.

The President lets go of the boy and starts walking in front of us with his hands in his pockets.

"So, as I was saying before I was rudely interrupted," he continues returning to normal. "Blondie should've died today."

I can't help but notice at first he called my name, but now he's calling me by my nickname.

"She didn't die due to an exception I decided to make. Thus, nor did she pass the test, nor fail it. To pass the test, you have to complete the trailing you've been given. You have to follow the exact instructions and trust that they will lead you to success. That…" he says eyeing each of us. "…is what you will learn here at BLS during the following years, until you will go out there and apply these lessons. Some of you are already doing fieldwork. Some of you are already leaders."

He pauses and frowns. "Which reminds me, where's Erza?"

Some people chuckle and I can tell he's very much liked by the trainees. He's our age and he seems to have a good heart.

But even so, as I'm looking at him, I'm still trembling with anger. I feel like no matter how nice he is, he still is a monster for running such an organization. I feel like I hate everybody here. I grit my teeth and surprise myself when I say out loud:

"At the Spine, remember? You told her to take care of Gray."

My tone is mocking and disrespectful and my eyes are glaring. I don't even know why I remembered such a minor detail from somebody else's conversation. Talk about an actress's memory. I see everybody turn around and stare at me with shock. How dare I, they must be thinking. He's the President, they must be exclaiming. The President's sight rests on my own. He holds my glare for a long time and his eyes are nor angry, nor cold. He seems neutral. But I know that he can't be this way. He can't, when I provoked him like this.

"Ah, that's right, isn't it?" he says nonchalantly. He still looks at me for a long time even after he continues speaking. "I forgot that I sent her there."

No cold comment about how much she must be torturing Gray right now in order to cut and trust. Nothing.

"So. You, who are more experienced than the rest, know better what I mean when I say what you learn here will not only build your body to accomplish your missions, but also prepare your mind for what's to come." He hesitates before saying: "And I'm going to be honest with you. Seeing your mates fall will prepare you for what's to come. You need every experience you will gain here."

"President." someone asks boldly "I have a question. Being mocked by our superiors has, from your point of view, a role in our preparation, too. Then there is no problem in mocking them in return, is it? Because it can help them build character too, right?"

The President angers.

"Your superiors are your superiors. You don't have the kind of rights as your superiors. It is my responsibility to mock them if I find it necessary." He smirks almost unnoticeably. "And you know I never hesitate to do so when I find it necessary."

Some chuckles break free and I frown confused.

"Everyone knows that the President is in bad terms with Nick, the coach with the cigarette. Sometimes they just spend their time throwing each other silencers and it's really funny to watch." a lowered head explains to me. I look at the guy and recognize him as the one with dark hair and piercings from Loke's group. I nod in response. He frowns guessing my thoughts. "I'm only talking to you because I like your guts. Don't flatter yourself."

I try to laugh, but it fails and I just look away flushing embarrassed.

"Why don't they like each other?"

"Nick doesn't like the President's honorable way of thinking and the President doesn't like Nick's cruel methods. The Prez has the authority so he always wins, but never underestimate Nick. He always finds his ways to get it right back at you in an innocent way. The Prez also knows that, so he's being careful."

"But can't he just, like, fire Nick?"

The guy laughs heavily, a little too loud.

"You think it's that easy? Here, nobody exits this place until they're written a dozen papers in which they _swear_ on their life not to do this and that and you think you can just _fire_ someone? Honestly, where did you _come_ from?"

I flush harder and press my lips together frowning.

"The acting world."

"What?" he asks confused.

"I'm an actress."

"Oh _please_." the haired girl that is jealous on me suddenly turns around and comments.

"You, an actress?"

"And what do _you_ think you're doing eavesdropping on others' conversations?" the guy asks and I officially like him.

She rolls her eyes.

"Look at her, Gajeel. Don't tell me you actually believe her."

I blush when he studies my body from top to toe.

"I don't see any reason why she shouldn't be?"

I open my mouth to thank him, when he continues:

"I mean, there are ugly actresses in this world, too."

This time the red head smirks and I am pressing my lips together, red with anger. I glare at him and he laughs.

"I didn't mean it that way." He excuses himself half heartedly.

"Thanks for the compliment."

"What are you three talking about?"

Gajeel and the red-haired girl and I all freeze at once. The President's look along with the others' are pinned upon us. It seems that he had been talking all this time our conversation was held. We keep silent and I turn as red as a tomato. I somehow feel a little satisfied to see that the girl is suffering just as much embarrassment as I do.

"You there." Natsu Dragneel calls her. "You're a leader, aren't you? What's your name?" Again, I smirk knowing that he knew my name from my first day and he still doesn't know hers even if she's a leader. I bet she's thinking the exact same thing.

But it kinda surprises me that she's a leader. I wasn't expecting this.

"Rita, sir." she replied timidly.

"Rita, I thought your role as a leader was to make order through the trainees. I didn't know you're having trouble with a bare newbie. Maybe this job doesn't suit you?" he lifts his furrowed eyebrows softly in a way that I can't help but consider cute. Rita blushed really hard.

"N-No, sir. I was trying to make them shut up, but-"

"No, she wasn't." Gajeel says so nonchalantly, looking at his nails as if it wasn't him being on the carpet. Maybe he was used to this kind of situations, I think. Anyway, I smile and I feel like I only like him more and more. People are chuckling everywhere. Rita is now as red as her hair. She's got nothing left to say, even though she's trying to come with a salvation.

The Prez –as Gajeel calls him- looks at us a moment longer and then tells us:

"Ten laps all three of you, and then no dinner. Because I feel in a good mood tonight." he doesn't smile, but he somehow still sounds funny to the rest. "But next time I won't let anyone off that easily when I'm interrupted."

"Psh." makes Gajeel. "Piece of cake."

He starts running and I start running after him at the same pace.

After five minutes, I've only done two laps of the enormous room and I'm already panting heavily, while Gajeel did five laps and Rita four. I'm seriously left behind, but I try to concentrate on resisting till the end instead.

After some time, the crowd starts to spread through the room and the newbie's are being taught with live examples from the ones with more experience all kinds of things. I can't know what things, since I'm jogging. It seems I'm going to be left behind on the theoretical side too. Today I'm being left behind on everything.

I pass running by a group being shown something at one of the walls. I look at what they're doing while counting my breaths. But I suddenly see the President turn his head and he looks exactly in my eyes. I slightly widen them and then I lose count of my breaths. Actually I'm so drawn into his eyes that I can't see where I'm running.

I almost bump into Rita and I don't regret it. I don't answer to her insult, I don't even hear it, and I'm just left dumb-founded.

Why did he look at me? I couldn't even read anything inside his eyes.

I huff and keep running. I pass a corner. This makes it three.

Seven laps to go.

**I'm not sure as to how much interesting this chapter was, but it will get more interesting anyway. Thank you for reading! I would've continued with this chapter, but it's already too long. Sorry. Next time. Look forward as much as I do!**

**And pleeeeeeaaaase reviewww! You know how much it motivates me and if I don't deserve it, at least this story does. Please!**

**Bye-bye!**


	4. The President -good or bad?

**WoW, thank you for the sweet reviews! Special thanks to Leah (guest)! You made me so happy!**

**Oh and, I decided to write from Lucy****'s point of view, since it seems to be a lot easier for me. I hope you guys don't mind it. **

**Please enjoy this chapter!**

At the fifth lap I suddenly remembered I haven't thanked the President yet for saving me.

At the sixth lap I suddenly remembered I had just exhausted myself on a pillar and there's just no way I can finish this.

At the seventh lap I saw everybody exit the training hall except for the President and us three.

At the eighth I met Gajeel during my desperate tries of running and breathing. He grins at me and asks:

"How many did you do?"

After I huff, I reply shortly "Eight". He lets out a laugh and says:

"I'm at my fifteenth."

I eye him shocked and Rita replies from behind us:

"We're only supposed to do ten."

"Well what fun's in that? How many did _you_ do?" he asks and I can tell he's quite enjoying himself.

She doesn't reply and when we reach the corner, she stops and says, smiling:

"Twelve."

"You're lying." Gajeel says.

"Alright, I only did eleven. But it doesn't matter."

The President calls over: "Did you finish your laps, Rita?"

I look over at him and see him holding his arms crossed at his chest. He's only remaining for us. I try to concentrate at my running.

My feet tangle when I almost can't feel them anymore, but I regain my balance fast. Gajeel is racing at the same pace as me. I breathe so heavily that I wonder if I'm going to collapse again.

I can't go on and I stop for a little break. I notice Rita is leaving.

"Did I say you're allowed to take breaks, Heartfilia?" the President yells over to me and I stare at the wall, in my head throwing with knives towards the pink headed jerk. I intend to start running again, but Gajeel suddenly kneels down with his back at me. I look at him questioningly when he motions with his arms to me.

"Come on, I'll help you finish your laps."

I stop myself from looking at the Prez and immediately put my hands around the dark haired guy's neck. He hops me up and I'm finally feeling like resting. He starts running and it's so much faster than my own speed, that he only finishes the two remaining laps in less than three minutes.

Gajeel slips me down when he's finished and we both walk towards the exit, now the doors being wide opened.

I glimpse at the Prez and notice a displeased expression on his face, but he isn't saying anything. I guess he's not _that_ bad, after all.

"And where do you two think you're going?" he asks when we pass by him.

And I take my words back.

Gajeel stops and I follow his example.

"What? Since we aren't getting dinner, we have free time, right?"

"You may take a break and go to the showers, but at 6:30 _exactly_, not a second later, I want to find you here."

"Why?" I ask, suddenly horrified by the idea of more training.

"Your punishment isn't over."

"Hey!"Gajeel straightens his back. "You said ten laps, we ran ten! I ran fifteen, darn it!"

"You did. But she didn't." he motions in my direction.

Gajeel tries to find his words, but he cuts him off.

"And you helped her do something that is out of the rules. So you're being punished in addition."

I grit my teeth and my fists tighten automatically. Man, do I want to punch him in his pretty face.

Gajeel probably wants to throw him a response to close him off, but he can't.

I'm starting to think this President is only taking advantage of his apparent good-heartedness. He's not good at all!

I want to do something to save myself from this punishment, but then I realize this isn't fair for Gajeel. He only helped me do something that I couldn't. He can't be punished for _that_!

"I…It's not his fault." I say. "At least punish me only. He didn't do anything to deserve it."

Gajeel looks at me surprised and impressed, but the Prez starts laughing. He pisses me off.

"Oh, how nice. But do you seriously think I'm only doing this because I'm bad? I'm only following the rules." he shrugs his shoulders sheepishly and now I _really_ want to punch him in the face.

He looks at my pissed face and narrows his eyes with a cheerful grin on his face:

"You think I'm so bad, don't you? I can _tell_ how you want to just kick me."

Kick's even better, I think. But I don't want to be disrespectful in such a crucial moment and I just walk out without another word.

I immediately decide I'm not going to thank him anymore. He nullified my gratefulness the moment he made me run those terrible eight laps.

I walk aimlessly for a couple of minutes and only then I realize I don't know where the showers are and then, I don't even have a watch or something so I could arrive in time and avoid other trouble. I sigh and then, as if she'd read my mind, Thayla appears out of nowhere and grabs my elbow.

"Are you alright?" she asks.

I have no idea why, but when I look at her face, I suddenly realize I'm starving. I don't know why, but her face reminds me of food. Probably because she's cute. Like a pie, maybe?

"Yeah, I guess so." I reply sighing again. "I'm beat, I'm starving, I'm pissed off and I'm going to be punished again. What could go wrong, right?"

She looks at me with a pair of big, sympathizing eyes and I notice her dark hair is wet.

"Thank you for the worry, though." I say, still looking at her hair. "Did you take a shower?"

She suddenly lightens up and smiles.

"Oh, yes! I was shocked to see that even though their conditions for everything here sucks, the bathroom is splendid! And the water feels so good!"

For a moment, I also forget about my anger and I smile. The idea of a nice bath is ringing wonderfully in my ears. My muscles hurt so much that I can't wait for it.

"Can you take me to the bathroom?" I ask.

"Sure" She answers looking around a little doubtfully. "Let me see if I remember the way, though. I'm not so sure where we are right now."

"That's right, where were you going?"

"Well, towards the canteen."

I stop walking.

"Why? What time is it?"

She has a watch. How lucky of her. She looks at it.

"6:23"

I freeze.

"WHAT?!"

_Time for a shower_, he had said?! I feel my head turning red with anger. That bastard… he's so… so… so WICKED! He's _evil_! Despicable!

I sprint, despite my aching feet, down the tunnels, stepping on the cold rock with my bare feet, dragging Thayla with me and asking for directions.

I finally make it to the showers, I thank Thayla shortly and open the door brutally. I meet a few stares from girls drying their hair or dressing up with not a care in the world. I flush a little embarrassed and look around for the shower cabins.

Thayla was right when she said the conditions are great. It looks like a pretty average hotel bathroom, only ten times bigger, and judging by the looks of BLS, this is not what you'd expect. I think for a moment about this and realize it actually isn't that bad. The tunnels are perfectly clean and the training hall doesn't have one spot not taken good care of. It's only the hall looking like a prison that is dirty and smelly.

I didn't lose a second and now I'm turning on the water. My skin is at first stroke with a shock of cold water, I stop breathing and my muscles flex. But then it slowly warms up and after a couple of seconds, I'm already sighing under relaxation. My only regret is that I can't sit down, because my feet are hurting horribly. I take the soap and wash myself as fast as I can, at the same time trying not to get my hair wet. I wipe my every inch and then let the water clean the bubbles off of my skin. I let a low sound escape my throat, expressing the pleasure I'm feeling being clean again.

Before I would get addicted to the shower, I turn off the water and then…. I freeze.

I'm struck by the realization I'm blocked here. I don't have a towel.

And since I can't just wait till I'm dry and then dress, I have to do something fast.

"Um… Hello?" I say trying to wash away the embarrassment. I don't have time for that. I have to ask one of the girls for a towel.

The only thing I hear is a hair dryer blowing in the other side of the bathroom.

"Excuse me!" I scream. But still there is no answer.

Great. What am I going to do now? I bet I'm going to arrive late and the stupid President is going to give me something like a hundred pushups or, even worse, a trail to complete.

And when I feel like I can't even lift a finger anymore.

Suddenly I feel tears coming to my eyes. I'm cold. I'm embarrassed. I'm nervous. And that combination gives me butterflies in the stomach. And on top of that, I'm scared.

I only now realize I've been scared all day long.

What did I do to get myself in this situation? How in the world did I get myself kidnapped? I want to close my eyes and then open them, finding myself back in my room, beside the script that is like always opened at the page with today's shooting part.

But when I open my eyes, I just feel the tears falling down my cheeks and that's all. Why do I have to suffer so much? Why can't I arrive late? Why am I even doing what they're telling me to do?

Oh, that's right. Because if I don't, they'll kill me. Great.

I wipe my eyes and wonder what I should do, when I hear steps near my cabin. I stop making any sound and listen carefully. The girl stops in front of my door. She throws over it a nicely folded towel. I stare at the white, rough material for a moment longer and when the girl is gone, I grab it fast. I wipe myself dry, then put on the same sweaty clothes and rush out the door.

There's nobody in the bathroom anymore. That only means one thing. It's past 6:30, the time when dinner starts. I don't know what to do with the towel. I see little lockers numbered from zero to one hundred along a wall. I choose randomly an empty locker, throw my towel inside and try to remember the number 84.

I sprint out the room and happen to see a blue head turning around the corner. The last person so close by; the only one able to have dropped a towel in front of a shower before taking off. I don't stop to wonder and run back on the same way I came. I already know it was Levy.

A smile makes its way on my lips even if I'm trying to hide it.

I make it back to the training hall and I'm already panting. What I see surprises me. I thought I was the last one to come, but Gajeel isn't here yet. There's only the President, sitting on a bench I never saw before with his arms crossed, looking exactly in my eyes.

"Do you know what time it is?"

I shake my head and notice my heart is beating faster. I must be scared again.

"It's 6:46."

I raise my eyebrows surprised. I was expecting a little over 30, not 46. Time sure passes faster when you're in a hurry. Wait, that sounds a little weird.

I open my mouth to excuse myself, but nothing comes out.

"Where's Gajeel?" he asks after a while.

"I was going to ask the same thing." I say with no intention of being rude. He frowns deeper.

"Then I guess I'm going to have to start with you."

I wait, feeling how my energy leaves me now, when I need it most. He suddenly stands up and takes out of his pocket a folded paper. He unfolds it and I see it's a target drawn superficially. There are three concentric circles: white, blue and red. The red one is in the middle.

"Here" the thrusts his arm as I approach him. I take it hesitatingly.

"What am I supposed to do with it?"

"Hold it up for me. And stand next to that wall."

I look at him frowning and then at the wall behind me. I stop a few inches away from it and then face the President, waiting for something to happen. He doesn't move and just look at me. I frown deeper and shift nervously. He keeps staring and only after a few moments I realize I have to lift the target. I do so wondering if this is part of the punishment, when he pulls out a gun.

My eyes widen and I suddenly start yelling. I drop the paper and lay me back against the wall, desperately trying to somehow cover myself from the gun's pipe.

"WHAT IN THE WORLD ARE YOU DOING?!" I scream freaked out. He rolls his eyes still pointing his gun at me.

"Oh shut it, I'm not going to kill you."

He pushes the trigger and I shut my eyes closed, waiting for the impact. I feel a pinch on my tummy and while opening my eyes I notice a little ball, the size of my pinky nail, jumping on the floor, rolling away from my feet.

"It's not for real." The President continues, propping his toy gun on his shoulder.

"So let me see if I got this." I say in a sarcastic tone, starting to get pissed at myself for getting tricked so easily. "You want me to be your target."

He fixes his gun back in place while saying: "Well, not exactly."

He shoots and I feel the pinch harder, this time in the middle of my forehead. Why do I get the feeling that he's toying with me?

"You see, I've wanted for a while now to build a room especially for guns. You know, the kind with moving targets and all that cool stuff." he pauses. "To spare the trainees from this kind of training."

I feel a pinch in my foot and he immediately says: "Move around! You didn't think I'd shoot like this, did you?" I start walking and a ball gets me in my forehead, in the exact same spot as the previous one.

"So they were also targets before?"

"Yes, they were shooting one another. Many were injured like this but luckily nobody died yet."

He inserts the charge and points to me again. "_Yet_" he emphasizes.

He gets the same spot on my forehead. I start walking faster.

"So what's my punishment again?" I ask and start running around, making moves as sudden as I can. But I keep getting bullets in the same spot.

"I'm working on some calculations right now. About the shooting beam, the number of columns according to the number of trainees."

I think my forehead is already red. And it's starting to hurt.

"And about the moving targets. I plan to make three different kinds of moving targets."

I don't exactly want to know his plans for a shooting room, but I listen anyway.

"The first is the easy targets, like what you're doing now…"

I frown. So he thinks I'm an easy target, doesn't he? He pulls the trigger and I suddenly let myself fall to my knees. The ball bounces against the wall and then falls to the floor, jumping and then rolling away. The President slightly puts his gun away and looks at me. He keeps silent. I don't move. Our eye contact is heavy and it makes me feel the need to look away. He immediately places his gun and it takes me half a second to start running along the wall, jumping and spinning and lowering my body. His finger pulls the trigger without rest and the tiny balls come out one after another, missing my forehead, but getting the rest of my body. He doesn't continue what he was saying and starts shooting so fast, that I'm panting, taking the weirdest of positions only not to satisfy him.

"The second type is the medium one, where targets like you make tricky moves." he calls out loud.

I grin, glad to have been acknowledged.

I feel my sweat coming to surface. He shoots, I stunt. He shoots two balls and I move fast from one side to another. Another four shoots and all seven miss me. He stops for a second and frowns, looking at me.

I can't stop grinning.

"You're pretty serious about this."

"Come and get me, if you can." I say, swinging from left to right in a dance move. I seem to piss him off with my cheerfulness. I like it.

The following ball pinches my forehead, but I don't let this get me down and I continue to dodge with ridiculous jumps. I'm hit each and every time in the forehead and even though I'm surprised at the sudden change, I feel like laughing.

I expect him to be angry, but instead, he suddenly stops and I see he's smiling.

"Wait here for a moment." he tells me and sprints out of the training hall.

I'm left dumb founded, catching my breath and waiting for him to come back. He returns after less than a minute slightly huffing. He's holding another gun and a box with balls, I think.

"Catch." he throws me the gun and I catch it clumsily. I look at him confused. He's not going to make me shoot, is he?

"Have you ever held a real gun before?"

"Obviously not! What do you take me for?" I reply irritated.

"What about a toy gun?"

"Well, everybody's held that at least once in their lives." I roll my eyes and look at the weapon in my hands.

I stare surprised. It's heavy. Very heavy. I hold it in my hands and thrust my hands, picturing myself playing a role in an action movie. It doesn't come natural to me, but I get the feeling that I'd be able to get used to it.

"Then the rest you'll learn from experience." The President suddenly says.

"What am I supposed to do with this?" I ask fast.

"You're going to shoot with it, obviously." He points his gun at me and I feel the pinch in my forehead, same spot. I look at the gun a moment longer, then point at him hesitatingly.

He shoots again. "Come on."

"I-Is it really alright?"

"You're not going to get me anyway."

I get pissed at his sentence and point my gun at his head.

"How do you know?" I ask through my teeth. He shrugs his shoulders.

He shoots again and again, each time getting my forehead. I get the feeling he's trying to piss me off on purpose.

"Come on." He says. "You're not going to learn how to shoot with only one bullet."

"It's a _ball_!" I yell while shooting. I don't expect anything special, but what follows simply shocks me. The sound of my gun shooting is the sound of a _real_ gun and the rebound of a bullet exiting the pipe pushes my arms and almost hits my head. My hands felt like they were pulled out; I hadn't prepared for _this_. The little cloud of smoke now vanishes in the air and I stare wide eyed at the hole in the wall behind the President. I don't say anything. He looks at me like I'd done that a thousand times before and it doesn't surprise him anymore.

"It's a _bullet_, not a ball, dummy." he says silently and I'm starting to think I'm as crazy as him.

"You gave me a _real_ gun." I say, still in shock.

"Yeah, so what?"

I'm left speechless. In the end, the only thing left that comes to my mind is:

"I thought you were doing this for calculations?"

"Well, you see, the third type of targets that I intend to use is the one that shoots back. Just like you, right now."

Should I be glad that I'm an upgraded target like this?

I don't ask him what calculations he could make with me shooting towards him, and instead I just shake my head and breathe deeply.

"I don't know how to shoot real gun. What if you'll get hurt?"

He laughs and instead of being worried, I'm pissed off again.

"Don't flatter yourself. Not even the generals can get me."

I suddenly feel the urge to point my gun at him and blow his brains off, if only I knew how to shoot. I surprise myself and actually lift my gun, prepared to pull the trigger.

I hesitate.

"Fine. I'll help you with your calculations. But don't blame me if anything happens to you."

Actually now I _want_ to hit him. I aim his head and shoot. My cheeks flush embarrassed when the bullet makes a hole in the wall, far away from his body. And he didn't move an inch.

While I'm trying to get used to the shock of the gun blowing away those dangerous bullets, he shoots at me as well. I dodge as well as I can, but the new weight makes me nervous and I don't have the guts to make sudden moves anymore. Thus, I'm feeling the beginning of a hole in my forehead from all those hits.

"What's wrong?" he asks continuing to shoot at my head. "You're slow."

I don't reply and try to move faster. For a moment, I forget about the gun in my hands and concentrate on dodging, but the Prez makes sure to remind me.  
"Use your gun!"

I aim for him, but a second later, he gets my forehead. I stop, suddenly pissed off. I throw my gun at the ground.

"I can't!" I scream. "I can't dodge and shoot at the same time!"

He puts down his own weapon and looks at me.

"You have to."

"Why?!"

"Because."

"That's not an answer! Why do I have to do this stuff? It's annoying!"

"It's part of your punishment."

"Well I'd rather do pushups or something!" I say stubbornly. I don't even mean it, but I need to get out my frustration.

"And I say you have to do this."

"Well who do you think you are to order me around?"

He stares at me with a strange calm.

"The President."

"No you're not! You're just a singer! You're Hannah Elizabeth Feweek's boss, that's all!"

"And that's what I've been telling you." he grits his teeth, but immediately calms down. "I'm not. I'm not a singer."

"You can't sing?" I ask smirking amused and mockingly.

"I _can_ sing." he grits his teeth again and this time he's seriously getting pissed. "But that's not my job."

"Oh?" I ask faking a surprised expression. "Being a President is a _job_? Cause all I see you doing is laying around, gibing on everyone and tryin' to look all high and mighty."

Actually that is not the way I see him, I don't even know why I said that. The description looks better on Nick, rather than Natsu Dragneel.

"Hey _watch_ it!" he calls out threateningly, taking a step forward. "I've punished trainees for less than that!"

"But I'm not a trainee yet, now am I?" I smirk.

He gnashes his teeth. Uh-oh, I think I've pissed him a little too much.

He points his gun at me and he probably imagines it's a real gun for a short moment when he shoots. I don't flinch a muscle when the ball hits my forehead.

"Dodge _and_ shoot." he concludes with a hiss.

I roll my eyes only for my image when in reality I'm thankful that he stopped at being a rough teacher. I aim him and do my best trying to dodge the annoying, pinching balls blown like drops of rain towards me. I shoot once when I find it a good moment, and then again, from the same position. The bullet passes by him dangerously close and no matter how proud I am for that, I know it was pure luck.

I then make the mistake of dodging and shooting at the same time and since I have no stability in my hands, the gun almost slips away from my grasp and the bullet is miles away from the pinkie. I smile at the new nickname. Even though I'm embarrassed of each clumsy move I make, I keep going until I feel I've gotten a little better.

Suddenly I'm blinded and I feel a sharp pain in my right eye. I scream, drop the gun out of instinct and it discharges, but I can't see where. Instead, I hear the President's scream.

"Sh*t!" he yells and I try to open my eyes to see if the bullet hit him. But I can't even take my hands off of my face. I swear too and I'm starting to see green lights form the pressure of my hand. My cheeks are wet from the tears coming out uncontrollably. It sucks, because I'm not even crying for real.

I fall on my knees and press harder on my eye. Dang, it huuuuuurts….

"Are you okay?" I call out loud, still not about to regain my sight.

All I hear is his whimper.

"Where are you hurt?"

"I'm alright." he replies. "It's nothing."

I hold my breath for a few moments and then step on my pride:

"I'm sorry!"

"It's okay; it's not your fault."

"But I shouldn't have dropped the gun that easily! I'm so sorry!"

"I told you it's alright! _I_ shouldn't have shot you in the eye. I'm sorry."

"This is nothing! But you're wounded!"I manage to open my eyes half way and I see him on the ground, holding his upper leg. I walk towards him with my eyes shut tightly, still dropping endless tears.

"Is it bad?" I ask, thrusting my hands towards the hole in his tight black pants, luckily on their side, making it only just a deep –still painful- scratch. He gently pushes my hands away and answers:

"No, it's not much. I'll be okay."

I'm not being persistent and just stand there, trying to look at him through my tears and fingers.

"Is your eye alright?" he asks.

"Yeah." I reply shortly.

After a while of silence, I say:

"Won't you see a nurse or anything?"

He glares at me.

"Are you nuts? Go to the doctor for something small like this?"

"It's not something small."

"It is, for me."

So, in other words, he doesn't want anybody to see him go to the nurse. He's prouder than I thought he is.

"Then… I can help you take care of it." I say hesitatingly, doubting my nursing skills and at the same time feeling guilty and responsible for his wound. Even if it's not exactly my fault.

He doesn't say anything for a while, but then asks:

"Do you know what to do?"

"I've treated a severe wound once, but I'm no expert. I know what to do to help it not hurt and heal faster, but that's it." I say in the middle of an honesty attack.

He hesitates and then says:

"That'll do. Go over there…" he points to the doors. "…There's a small cupboard outside with the first aid kit. Get what you need and then…" he suddenly stops.

"No, it's okay. I'll go get it myself."

"Oh, boy-pride offense." I say silently, making sure he hears me. He glares at me and I know I'm right.

"Don't be foolish, President. It's not such a big deal to be embarrassed about, now is it?" I ask, already running towards the exit.

I find the cupboard and inside I find a big blue bag, not the type of aid kit I'd expect. I take it whole and return to the President's side.

While I search through the things there, I joke:

"Now what? Are we continuing to shoot each other?"

"Of course." He replies and I look at him, checking if he's kidding or not. "Do you think you're allowed to quit from such a minor thing like this?"

He lays down on the ground and I didn't expect this, actually I don't even know what I expected, but he takes off his pants to the level of the wound. I blush shocked. But then I see he's wearing a thin pair of black shorts under. He lifts the blinding carefully and reveals the bleeding wound.

"As I already said, "I reply frowning "this is _not_ a minor thing."

He looks away fighting the need to roll his eyes.

"Whatever."

I pick up a small bottle and let many drops of a brownish liquid fall on the wound. He probably expected it to hurt, but it doesn't, and I can see he's slowly relaxing.

"What's this?" he asks.

"It's something that clears the wound. It disinfects it."

I wipe softly the spread liquid mixed with blood. "And this…" I say, taking another bottle and applying fast "…is an antibiotic. It helps the wound heal faster. But your skin is going to have an odd color."

"Not important" he waves it off concentrating on my work. I unroll bandage and cut the end decided by me. I intend to wrap it around his leg, but I freeze staring at his pants and eventually give it to him:

"You can do this yourself."

He takes it and wraps it fast, stopping the blood from coming out any longer. He does a very good job and I'm glad I let him do it himself. I stick special tape to the end of the bandage and then, he's good to go.

He rises up without my help and pulls his pants. The bandage that is obvious from under them shows that he was wounded. But he ignores it and instead takes his gun, moving a little slower.

He breathes deeply and looks at my gun on the floor. Before asking me to take it, he speaks:

"How's your eye?"

"I think I'll survive." I joke and smile. Gosh, am I nice suddenly.

"Good. Then we can continue."

"D-do I still have to use the real gun?"

I kinda imagined he changed his mind.

"What, you think I'm getting scared of a pistol so easily?" he lifts his eyebrows.

"Besides," he adds with the hint of a smile. "I was safer when you aimed at me."

I frown at the rude comment, but instead of getting pissed like he expected, I burst out laughing. He stares at me.

"I guess you're right..." I rub the back of my head and manage the half of a smile out of him.

"But don't worry." He suddenly says. "I'm going to make a great fighter out of you."

I look at him surprised. He grins. First of all, he didn't say assassin.

"I don't intend to become a fighter." I say in the middle of another honesty attack.

"I don't care."

He says it so simply, calmly and still smiling, that I feel a chill running down my back. Well, I guess we could just drop the topic for the moment. I don't want to argue with a wounded person.

"Here I go!" he calls out pointing his gun at me. I also point my gun at him but with zero intention of ever shooting again.

And then, the same routine continues, with me dodging and holding my gun as if I'm about to shoot. He eventually understands that I'm only pretending and he probably thinks that I do that out of pity and that roughs him up the wrong way. He starts yelling at me to 'shoot the damn thing' and until I do so, I keep getting those stupid balls in my forehead and this drives me crazy. I shoot again and again and again and…

…And I am shocked to realize I'm getting used to it. And to realize I like it.

When the President starts to realize I'm getting better, he's being more careful. This gets me puffed up and I'm aiming for him even more. I dodge brilliantly and shoot at the same time. The Prez throws himself on the side and then we look at each other with wide eyes.

That would've made a pretty hole in his chest if he didn't dodge. I grin uncontrollably. That move was probably so good that on the cameras I would've looked like a professional. I feel sorry that I'm not an actress being filmed right now.

"Blondie…" the Prez frowns. He shoots a ball in my forehead and that immediately ruins my cheerfulness. "You're better than I expected."

"Damn right I am!" I yell and start shooting crazily. I've gotten _so_ sick of those balls in my forehead! I _swear_, if he does that again, I'm gonna blow his brains! His eyes widen and my target is so much better, that he's having a pretty rough time dodging and shooting.

He gets my leg, my neck, my shoulder, but not my forehead. So _this_ is how I can make him stop! Shoot like a mad woman!

I start laughing, shooting after him even if my aim's not good when I'm not concentrating.

But suddenly, I continue pulling the trigger and nothing happens. No more bullets coming out. My eyes open widely. Uh-oh.

"What happened?" I ask nervously, pulling the trigger towards the floor, nothing happening. "I didn't break it, did I?" I ask shakily as if I'm about to cry. The President bursts out laughing and for a good couple of seconds he can't stop.

"You didn't break it, silly." He throws me a little box. "Here. Load it."

I flush embarrassed. Right. No more bullets. Not broken. Just no more bullets.

I stare at the box and don't move. After a while he understands that I have no idea how to do what he asked me to do. He limps towards me and I wonder how much his wound hurts. He takes the box and pulls out a black, irregular rectangle. He then gives to box to me. The same kind of rectangle falls out of the handgun and he puts it in his pocket.

"This is called a magazine." He explains to me. "Inside it are the bullets. You have to pull the slide…"

He pulls the top of the gun backwards and it remains so.

"… Then place the magazine, let the slide go…"

He does so and the slide slips back with a 'click' which echoes in the training hall.

"And you're good to go." He gives the gun to me.

I look at him and then take it.

I calculate the weight of the pistol in my hand with no reason in mind. Maybe because I'm starting to like it. It doesn't take much effort to use it and the results are awesome. Can be dangerous as well, as I've already seen. I look at pinkie walking away while putting down the box with the magazines. His pink hair is ruffled, his back is straight and his figure seems strong. He's gallant, but tonight I don't seem to understand this. I'll go as far as to say he was friendly to me. I smile.

"Alright! One more time! Till the magazine's empty!" he calls out and prepares his toy gun.

I look at him and don't move.

"How are your calculations coming?"

He puts down his gun.

"What? Why do you care about that?"

"Well you said you're doing this for your calculations."

"They're good, if you really want to know." He smiles. "Thanks to you."

My heart skips a beat.

I widen my eyes surprised. I want to face-palm myself for this kind of reaction. Besides, this is obviously thanks to me. I'm the guinea pig to his experiments.

"Have you drawn any conclusion?" I ask, not really interested, but more like willing to change the direction of the conversation.

"Actually, I have."

"And that is?"

He hesitates, then lifts his gun and shoots at me. Forehead, of course.

"I'll go with my initial plan."

"Grand conclusion." I mutter annoyed, placing my gun towards him.

"I'll make the three types of targets. Today I realized it's a wonderful exercise with those three."

He suddenly throws himself away from the bullet that nailed the wall in the place that his head should've been. He looks at me dumb founded by my reaction. I'm blushing and biting my bottom lip.

That was a direct compliment. What in the world is his problem, suddenly acting so nice to me?!

I decide not to let myself be fooled by his behavior. One thing I learned about the President on my first day is not to be fooled by his acts of kindness. He's a devil in the skin of an angel and he suddenly does nice things only to take advantage and be ten times crueler next time. With that in mind, I yell:

"Oh, I was a good target, eh?"

He throws me a confused pair of onyx eyes. Dang, he's kinda cute.

"Let's see how good I am now!"

He doesn't understand why I'm acting as if I've just been insulted and not complimented and I don't understand that the more I try, the better target I am.  
I start shooting again like crazy and I don't allow him a second to shoot back at me. He starts dodging nervously. Actually, he's jumping and squealing every time I almost get him. But I don't care. I don't care if I hit him. All I know is that I'm blushing madly and I don't want him to see this.

The magazine is empty. I drop it to the ground, pull the slide, insert another magazine and drop the slide back in place. All in less than five seconds. I start shooting again and I want to hit his feet to get revenge for making me feel so embarrassed. He looks like he's dancing, only with a horrified look on his face.

Or not horrified. More like, excited. I widen my eyes. He _likes_ it. The bastard _likes_ this!

"Die, Natsu Dragneel!" I yell and shoot like my life depended on it. He's been shooting back for a while now and when he accidentally hits my chest, I start screaming and shooting aimlessly.

"Calm down!" he screams starting to take shelter. I load my gun again and shoot at his feet. He starts taking steps back, away from my bullets. His back hits the wall and his eyes widen when I slightly lift my gun towards his head. I can't stop pulling the trigger. I shoot and shoot and shoot and nothing can stop me from killing him anymore. I won't kill him, of course, but this feels awesome.

Even so, I suddenly stop.

We're looking into each other's eyes. He's glued to the wall and I can see his toy gun, which failed to stop me, is laying on the ground, a few feet away. All around his body there are holes in the wall. The closest one is only a few inches away from his shoulder. None of us moves a muscle.

I have…no…idea… what has gotten into me. All I know is that I loved it.

I'm surprised to see a smile bloom on his lips. His eyes are glittering.

"Lucy Heartfilia… " he whispers. "You're the definitions of talent…"

I look at him shocked. Not the reaction I had expected. It seems he had enjoyed every second of that, just as much as I had enjoyed it.

"Y…You should've known who you're dealing with before you chose me as your target." I say cockily trying to get away with it.

"NO!" he screams and walks to me. He grabs my shoulders and I drop the gun. "I couldn't have made a better decision when I punished you with this!"

He suddenly steps away, struck with an idea.

"I've decided! I'm going to make you my assistant!"

"What?!" I scream.

"This is perfect! I've been looking for an assistant since a long time ago!"

"No!" No matter how little I know about this place, I'm smart enough to realize this would only bring me trouble. "Why don't you make a leader your assistant! I'm on my first day, or did you forget? So what, I'm only a little good with a gun! That doesn't make me anything special!"

"A _little_ good?" he asks grabbing my hands. "Are you kidding me? I've never seen somebody master shooting in half an hour!"

I look at him shocked. What has gotten into him? I almost killed him and now he's almost _thanking_ me?

This isn't the President I thought I knew. And I don't like all this enthusiasm. It's almost like…

Like he's faking it.

I frown and pull my hands away.

"I'm nobody's assistant. End of conversation."

His smile disappears and he frowns softly. Then his frown becomes deep and he glares at me. I don't like his closeness.

"What did you just say?"

"Didn't you hear me? I don't want to be anybody's assistant! And what makes you think I'm remaining here?"

He grits his teeth. Must be from my lack of respect.

"I'm leaving this place! I don't want to become a trainee, or a fighter, or a stupid assistant. I want my life back and what makes you think you can steal it from me so easily?"

I would've said much more, but I'm suddenly slapped and the weight of his hand brings sharp shocks of pain into my cheek. I'm thrown at the ground. I lift on my aching elbow on which I fell and hold my face throbbing with pain. I say nothing.

"You can't seem to understand a fact, Blondie." he says so softly and calmly that it scares me.

He bends forward to be closer to me.

"Here…" his voice is almost like a whisper. "You don't have the right to want."

I hear him pick up a gun and I flinch when the bullet passes me by inches and makes a hole right under my face.

"You can take it as a warning. Next time you talk to your superior like that, I won't be missing you."

I keep silent and he throws the gun to the ground so hard that is discharges and I flinch again. I don't know which wall was holed, but I couldn't care less.

"Also, thanks to your most-appreciated honesty, now I will be keeping an eye on you. Not like you'll ever be able to escape, but I don't want you to do anything stupid."

I hear him walk away in the silence. His steps are echoing along the walls of the training hall. Before exits, he says:

"Clean up this place and then ask for a leader to show you to your room."

A good couple of minutes pass since he's left and I still don't move. My tears are falling on the ground silently while I'm still holding my cheeks, my palm no longer cold. My shoulders are shuddering.

I slowly rise and then I just stare at the floor through my blurring tears. I then start picking up some little balls and the magazines I've emptied. I take the paper target that I was supposed to use at first and wrap it around the balls so I wouldn't lose them. I take the aid kit and walk towards the exit. I put it inside the cupboard and everything else along, since I don't know what to do with them.

I wonder where to find a leader, when I walk upon a big group going towards the training hall. I don't recognize anybody, but they recognize and laugh at me. They probably misunderstand, thinking that I cried because I wasn't given any food. Then is it so obvious that I cried? I look at my feet as I'm passing beside them.

"Lucy!" an already familiar voice calls over. I look in front and Thayla runs at me.

"Hey." I say smiling weakly.

"Hey. You okay?"

"Uh-huh. Say, where can I meet a leader?"

"Why's your forehead so red?" she doesn't listen to my question. "And your eye is swollen."

I frown and answer:

"I'll tell you later."

I don't want to talk about that manipulator President. I promised myself already that I'm never going to let my guard down beside him again. I'll never trust him again, also.

"Now, where can I find the leader?"

"Well…" she looks around and then her eyes set on somebody. "There. Hey, Jellal!"

A blue haired guy with a tattoo on his face turns around and I recognize him as the third one from Loke's group. Loke, Gajeel and now Jellal. Lucky me to have met them all in my first day. Thayla turns at me and tells me: "I met a lot of nice people at dinner."

"Yes?" Jellal asks and some others stop and listen to our conversation.

"Well, Lucy needs to talk to a leader, so…" Thayla smiles. Everybody burst out laughing and the two of us girls stare in surprise.

"You really believed him when he said he's a leader?" Loke pops out laughing and rests his arm on his friend's shoulder.

"You mean he's not?" Thayla's eyebrows make a thin line. "You lied to me!"

"I was just playing with you." Jellal says calmly, the hint of a smile on his face. "Well, I'm not far away from being a leader, so it's wasn't completely not true."

He suddenly looks at somebody behind us and grins so widely that it makes me curious. I see he's looking at that leader, Erza. I look back at him and some of the guys start making sounds like 'OOOOOOOOHH!' or 'Woohoo' or even whistling. It didn't take me too long to realize something is going on between that Erza and Jellal, even if she is ignoring him.

Well, I found my leader, so I might as well be on my way. Even though it's a leader I dislike from the bottom of my heart.

I intend to walk towards away, when I am stopped by a familiar voice. Gajeel's. He sees me and calls over:

"Yo Lucy, how was the punishment?" he laughs.

I'm pissed at him for not showing up, but I can't blame him. It wasn't his fault to begin with. I turn around to look at him but now I wish I didn't do that, because he sees my red forehead and my purple eye.

His eyes widen and he's truly surprised.

"What the heck happened?"

Now the rest also see my appearance and they seem to misunderstand since worried expressions replace their grins.

"What did the Prez do to you?" Gajeel frowns.

"Nothing" I say and it's not really a lie, since he didn't do it on purpose. Erza is slipping away from my sight, so I need to hurry. "I have to leave."

From their point of view, I'm just running away like a victim too scared to speak, so I don't blame them from worrying. I'm actually glad they care enough to worry about me. It's sweet of them.

I catch up with Erza and I speak:

"Excuse me."

She turns around and glares at me. She seems to recognize me instantly.

"Oh, it's you. Come with me."

I blink confused. Does she already know what I'm about to ask her?

We start wakling along some tunnels together and soon, people are nowhere to be seen anymore. It's just the two of us, going in some unknown direction.

I don't want silence, but I can't exactly talk with her, now can I? I don't want silence because silence makes me think about things and I don't want to think about many things right now.

Erza suddenly stops in front of a door. I stop beside her. She knocks and waits. Nobody answers. She knocks again harder and still, nobody answers. She tries the door, but it's locked. She sighs and tells me to wait here.

She walks away. I look at her going further into the darkness only to be slightly lightened up by the weak sun rays falling from the breaches. Outside it's probably such a beautiful sunset right now.

I'm left alone in the silence.

I sit on the floor, once again feeling that I'm _beat_. I've never done so much effort in one day. I'm probably going to sleep like a baby tonight.

I listen to my own breath while resting, until another different sound catches my attention. I listen more carefully and then rise up. I make no movement and soon, I can hear it again. It's some screaming. I sigh and relax. Somebody's fighting close-by.

I look at the hallway's walls and ceiling, and then at the weak torch in front of me. This hallway-tunnel thing seems a little different from the rest. It's much bigger and it's a lot more lightened up. It must be because of the room I was supposed to enter with Erza. It's probably a more important room and the surroundings are special.

But then, I remember that this same kind of tunnel was in front of the Principal's office. I hadn't looked at the details back then, but I remember it was lightened up compared to the rest of the tunnels. Hah, don't tell me this is actually the same hallway.

I then hear the screaming again, this time louder. It's a man's voice. I straighten my back. Don't tell me… Could it be that the fighting is actually coming from the office? Curiosity pushes me forwards and I walk silently towards the noise. I only walk a little.

I'm standing in front of a door and I know that on the other side of it, two men are screaming at each other. The sound isn't so obvious thanks to the thick walls, so at first I have to press my ear against the door to hear what they're talking about. The cold metal of the door gives me goose-bumps.

"I'm telling you, you're not trying enough! That's why you keep failing! If you were half as good as you claim to be, you'd have reached your purpose by now!"

"Stop saying that! It's only the first damn day! How can I make any considerable progress so soon?"

I discover there's a key hole and I look through it, more and more curious about the fight.

What I see shocks me. This is, indeed, the President's office. And I see him screaming at none other than director Makarov. My eyes automatically widen and I start listening with my breath cut. While looking at the scene.

The short old man kicks out of frustration a pillow that was on the ground.

"You're so stubborn! You refuse to understand anything I say to you!"

"Like what?!" the President rushed to defend himself. "What did you tell me to do, that I didn't do according to our agreement?"

What agreement are they talking about?

"Then how do you explain that you keep failing?!"

"I didn't fail anything yet! It's just not the results we were expecting, that's all!"

Director Makarov pauses trying to calm down.

"I'm disappointed in you. I expected much more from your skills."

The President runs a hand through his ruffled hair and walks away annoyed.

"I did everything you told me to do. I did them the _way_ you wanted me to do them. I think the problem here isn't me having skills or not, but _your_ stupid plan!"

"Don't forget you're being paid for this!"

What are they talking about? I keep wondering.

"So what? If I receive money for trying to seduce a girl, it means you're allowed to blame me and tell me whatever you feel like saying? Have some respect, old man! Don't forget you're not any more needed in this operation than me!"

_Trying to seduce a girl?! _The President's being paid for seducing a girl?! My jaw drops and so does my respect for him. What kind of man is he?! And what does director Makarov have to do with this? Is he also part of BLS? And what's this operation they're talking about?

"Tell me what you've done so far. With every detail, so I could-"

I suddenly hear steps and my heart starts racing. I don't hear the rest of the sentence. I rush back in front of the other door and Erza approaches me.

I try to seem casual and not as guilty as I feel. I've just listened to a conversation that I have a feeling it was secret. And it wasn't just anyone's. It was that bastard President's and _director_ _Makarov's_. I still can't believe that he's part of this story.

Erza pulls out a key and speaks to me while unlocking the door.

"You're going to receive a uniform that you'll have to wear every day at the training. Also, some of your personal things have been brought to you from your home."

I stare at her shocked and for the moment, I forget all about that conversation. She enters the room and starts searching through a pile of folded black clothes.

"From today onwards, you're going to follow the schedule and regulation given to you and you can't be late to any of the activities."

She eventually pulls out a t-shirt, a blouse, a pair of shorts and one of long pants, all black, gives them to me, and then goes to another corner of the room. I think this is some kind of storage room. She comes back with a pair of boots and another with running shoes. She throws them to me and I drop one boot. As I bend to take it, she locks the door and then we both walk away.

"Also, you're never allowed to come on this hall without a leader. Remember that."

It's because of the office. But now I'm more suspicious of this place and it just makes me wonder if they're not hiding something.

"Anything else?" I ask not meaning to be rude, but she turns around and glares at me.

"Try learning to orientate. Nobody wants to be a guide here, so you better manage yourself. The bathroom is on the same hallway with the girls' dormitory. You can't get lost when going to the bathroom. Other than that, learning where the canteen, the training hall, the back exit and the Spine are will do."

I want to ask her why only so little of this huge place I need to know, but I already know I won't get an answer, so I just stay silent and follow her towards the girls' 'dormitory'.

We arrive eventually and with some other short instructions, she sends me inside.

I expected at first to be sent back in that tiny, stinky cell, but I find myself in an enormous room, with beds and small closets lined up in roads along opposite walls. There are, like, a hundred places! The conditions are not much better than the cell's, but at least we have where to sleep and it doesn't stink. I see some girls sleeping even if the neon lights are so strong, but other than that, the room is pretty empty. I was told my place is bed plus closet number ninety nine. I close the metal door silently, and then walk to the very end of room. On the left side, the last bed is ninety nine. It seems on the right bed is the one hundredth and my guess was right, since it's the last one.

I open the closet and a couple of moths fly out. Inside is a small pile of some of my clothes from home and some other personal stuff. I smile and after I place my uniform and shoes inside, I take my things. I breathe in the smell of my clothes. They smell like home.

Other girls enter the room talking and walk to bed number eighty-four and eighty-six, a few beds away from me. I change into my pajamas fast while listening to their conversation.

"I know, but he's so hot!" one of them says. "I just feel like I'd be so lucky to be noticed by him!"

The other one giggles and then says:

"Yeah, I bet you'd die a happy person to be punished by him."

"Kyaa~" They both start laughing and I take my shoes off.

"I wonder what his real name is. He only tells us to call him 'President', but it's so dumb and plain. I want to know his name! I bet it sounds so hot! I want him." she laughs creepily.

I freeze. They're talking about the President. Out of the blue, his words ring into my ears :"_Here, you don't have the right to want._" I bet that if these girls knew how he really is, they wouldn't 'want' him so badly.

I get angry because I was reminded of him again. I throw myself in the hard bed trying to forget about the President, about my muscles hurting, about my stomach growling like a bear, about my dry neck and about the tears threatening to strangle me. I just want to sleep and wake up at home. I want to wake up knowing that this was all just a bad dream.

But no matter how tired and sleepy I am, I can't sleep. I shift all night long, listening to the girls entering one by one the room, listening to their whispered chatters, remembering everything what happened today.

But what couldn't make me sleep was none of these. I thought of all these, but back in my head, there was something else.

Five words couldn't allow me to rest throughout the entire night.

_Trying to seduce a girl_.

**The mystery deepens, people! What's going to happen? Look forward to the next revelations and drop a review on your way! **

**Love you so very much! Bye-bye!**


	5. Challenge on an Empty Stomach

I turn on the other side and look at the bed that is only a few centimeters away from my own. The girl laying there is sound asleep. I can see her watch on the floor under the bed. I shift slowly under the blanket and then take out my hand. Careful not to wake anyone up with my noise I take the watch between my fingers and try to read it in the darkness.

I remain for a few minutes in the same position trying to guess the time. But I eventually think of giving up. I can't see a thing. But then I find a tiny button on its side and I push it without thinking. The electronic screen lightens up and my first instinct is to blink stunned and then to hide it under the blankets. I look, and the watch tells me it's 4:56 a.m.

I sigh. I've been awake all this time. I press the button again and the light goes off. I throw the watch back under the girl's bed and immediately think that I should get one of those.

I lay back on my pillow, staring at the ceiling, thinking of how long I'm going to have to stay here.

I look around and am surprised to see some of the girls are already up. I stare shocked. It's not even five yet!

Four minutes pass and the girls are changing in their clothes.

At 5 o'clock, the doors open brutally and the lights turn on, blinding me for a few moments. A few leader girls are inside and they start making noise:

"Good morning, sleeping beauties! Rise and shine! Come on, up you go! Up, up, up, up!"

I'm up, alright, but I still can't understand why I've been woken up at five in the morning. It's still pitch black! I see all the girls slowly rising, moaning sleepily, some already searching through the closets with their eyes half opened.

I feel my whole body aching when I step on the cold floor with my bare feet. The girl whose watch I borrowed is moaning with her head under her pillow.

"Ughh, shut _up_…"

The leaders keep screaming and taking off the blankets of the girls who aren't up yet. They start walking through the beds, making sure no one's left.

I take a pair of socks and the running shoes from my closet and after I put the socks on, I dress in the black blouse and the shorts that were given to me yesterday. I have a feeling I'm going to run, and no matter how cold it is, I hate running in long pants. I put on my shoes and then take what I need for the bathroom.

I follow the girls going out of the room thinking that they're already used to this. In the bathroom I look at my reflection in the mirror and I am horrified. I have purple bags under my eyes and for some reason I'm pale. My forehead and eye are bruised. and I hear my stomach growling and I hurry to wash my teeth and face. After I'm done, I put everything, including my little green towel for the face, in the cupboard with my bed's number, 99.

I hurry out of the bathroom along with the other girls. I see we're all gathering in the same place and then we start climbing some stairs. I wish I could meet Thayla, but I can't see her anywhere. Instead, I see Levy.

But I'm not really sure how to approach her. Last time we talked, she was cold and she looked like she wanted have nothing to do with me. But then, she saved me yesterday, in the bathroom. I'm a little confused regarding how she feels about me, but I think about giving it a shot anyway.

I push a little in left and right until I reach her.

"Good morning, Levy." I smile touching her arm. She turns her head towards me surprised, but then immediately looks away.

"What do you want, Lucy?" she asks.

"I don't know, maybe a greeting and one of your sweet smiles?" I say giggling. I don't really feel like giggling, but what wouldn't I do to gain a friend back. I don't know what I did to make her this mad in the first place, but I intend to find out.

She rolls her eyes and ignores me completely. I hesitate, but then ask:  
"Where are we going?"

"You'll see yourself."

_You'll-know_ treatment again. Seriously, I hate it. But I remain calm and joke.

"Come on, Levy. You're allowed to tell me anything, now. Nobody will punish you."

She twitches a smile and I know she's wondering how I found _that_ one out.

"We're going jogging." she fakes a smile. A-ha, she gives in!

"Oh joy." I mutter.

"So how do you like your staying here?" she mocks with me as revenge for making her speak.

"Oh, I couldn't have imagined a better host and entertaining schedule! I simply love everything here!" I say sarcastically and I probably sound very convincing because a few girls around me throw me the are-you-nuts-in-the-head look. But I wouldn't ever trick Levy; she knows me too well.

"Then why are you bruised like that?" she asks not as sarcastically. I want to glare at her, but I control myself and decide instead to continue with my own sarcasm.

"Oh, you need to hear this one. Last night I played with the President."

I'm starting to get stares from the girls around me and I think that what I said could be understood in the wrong way, but I couldn't care less. Actually I want to have a little fun with this situation.

"It was a dangerous game of tag." I wink at the word 'dangerous' and Levy widens her eyes a little. "He was on _fire_! He was sweating so little, though."

All eyes are widened at me. I giggle innocently. Well, it's true, isn't it? I used a real gun, so how can it not be dangerous? And then, no matter how much he moved around shooting at me, he barely sweated!

"He exhausted me. But once, I got him so good that he's still hurt."

Now I'm glad that as revenge for squeezing the last drop of energy out of me, his foot is wounded. But these dumb girls don't seem to understand what I'm saying and their eyes are as big as golf balls.

"What the…" Levy says in shock. I look at her nonchalantly.

"Yeah, Levy, last night I was punished by the President to be his target at shooting. He shot me in the forehead and in the eye, as you can see." I clarify putting an end to my delicious joking. Ah, I love my own jokes.

In the split of a second, I see the eyes turning back to normal size and all around me, girls are sighing relieved. Levy looks at me still wide-eyed and then, a miracle happens.

Her lower lip is trembling and her eyebrows are furrowed. She tries to bite it out of her, but she can't hold it inside anymore and she bursts out laughing. I stare at her and then a grin blooms on my lips.

"You laughed!" I exclaim surprised and delighted. She's holding her stomach and she can't stop laughing. I chuckle along, happy to have my friend back.

"You…" she says through her laughing. "You got me so good… Holy dogs, that was hilarious."

And she continues to laugh. A side of me wants to simply enjoy this moment, but I decide to take advantage of her mood and I suddenly say fast:

"Levy, I'm so sorry about anything that I did to upset you! I swear I didn't do it on purpose. Please forgive me!"

She looks at me and then says softly:

"You didn't do anything."

She doesn't say anything else, so I say:

"Then what is it? Why were you so cold to me?"

"It's not you, Lucy, it's me."

"What do you mean?"I ask wide-eyed.

"I kept thinking that the moment you'd find out the truth, you will hate me for lying to you all this time. So I figured staying away from you will be the best for both of us."

She saddens and I stare at her shocked.

"_Hate_ you?" I ask taking her little hand between my palms. "How could I hate you? Maybe I would've been pissed at you, yeah, but how could I ever hate you? Now all I want is my friend back! I couldn't care less that you lied to me. If you hadn't, you would've been probably killed, from what I understand. So it's alright!"

She looks at me with a pair of huge, hopeful eyes. I smile to emphasize my point.

"Friends?" I ask.

She smiles.

"When weren't we?"

We hug each other tightly and she apologizes in my ear. I grin happily and before I could say anything else, we suddenly exit the building.

The cold wind hits my naked feet and I shiver. For the first time in what has seemed like forever, I am outside. Well, not exactly outside _outside_, but we're out of the base and now, in the 'backyard'. I'm pleased with this nickname, so this is how I'm going to call it from now on. It actually looks like a courtyard of a prison, and I know that because I've seen then on TV. It's surrounded with tall, concrete walls on top of which there's barbwire. I somehow doubt this is the most of the security they have, but no matter how suspicious and curious I am about what they're hiding, I don't have any intention of finding out on my skin. _Yet_, I don't _yet_.

I stare at the dark sky and wish that I could see the sun rising through the base's tall building. I kind of missed the feeling or fresh, morning air. My eyes are dragged again towards the base. Something smells a little fishy about it, but I can't put my finger on it.

I see that on the opposite side of the huge backyard, the boys exit through a door identical to ours. They're aligning and I realize so are the girls. I follow their every move and when we're in formations, a deep silence falls over us and we just wait, the girls looking forward at the boys and the boys looking forward at us girls.

There aren't that many people this morning, and it makes me wonder if it's just the trainees here or the coaches and generals too. But then again, what was the generals' job? Could their job not be of interacting with us and instead, doing some kind of work up there, in the base?

And then, I realize what smelled fishy to me. The building. I proved not to be stupid when I realized we were kept underground. Even the _President's office_ is underground, which makes me wonder: what in the world is a _building_ doing here? What do they need it for? I bet on anything you want it's something that they're hiding.

Unless… I frown weighting the idea that came to my mind. Unless the building is here _especially_ for the underground, _real_ base. Like a cover, deceiving the curious eyes.

I _could_ believe this idea, but I'm not sure which one to trust. Maybe I'll do a little research on my own later.

I lift my head and ahead of me, I see a huge blond guy with his black coat covering his shoulders, his muscular arms crossed at his wide chest. He's walking slowly in the middle of the space between guys and girls.

Where the heck did this creep come from?

He's got a pretty deep scar over his right eye and even from this distance I can see his eyelashes are very long, to girls' jealousy. He's so massive that it makes me wonder how his hugs are like. Well, not like he seems the type to hug.

"Attention, straight!" his strong voice echoes in the silence of the morning.

Everyone behind and beside me suddenly straightens their positions. Oh, I ended up in the first road again. Are these people doing it on purpose? I follow their example and think that a 'good morning' instead wouldn't have ruined anybody's mood.

"Girls are one minute late. Boys are two minutes late." He calls out.

I look at the steam coming out of my mouth and wonder how crazier can these people get.

"You know what this means."

"Sir, yes sir!" a girl calls out, but she doesn't salutes and that makes me wonder why she's copying the military way.

"That girl is on duty today. She is responsible for everything that happens during Mr. Laxus' morning training."

I nod slowly at Levy's whispered explanation. She's standing at my right.

"What does it mean?" the Laxus coach asks further.

"Ten laps in addition for the girls!"

"And twenty laps in addition for the boys!" A guy yells from their side.

"Let me guess, guy on duty. And, one minute late means ten laps in addition." I whisper.

Levy nods slowly and almost unnoticeably.

"Today we only make fifty laps because we have a special activity afterwards."

He starts looking through the girls and then his eyes stop upon me. He remains so for a while and I frown. He then continues.

"You may start. Girls first."

"Turn right!" Levy tells me so loud and impatiently, that I do what she says right away, confused. The girls move at the same time, as if they're all one. Thanks to the sound of their shoes on the ballast, she wasn't heard. She knew what she was doing.

"Walk." She then orders me and I notice while doing so that my heart is beating faster. This makes me nervous. The girls walk a few steps and then…

"Start running."

I jog a few meters and then, when we are out of the coach's sight, Levy turns her head and says:

"Sorry for that, it's just that when he sees disorder within the formation, he has a habit of punishing people. And it's not necessarily the one who does things wrong."

"Oh…" I say. "Thanks then."

"Alright, next tip is that you need to keep your breath for running. You won't be able to complete the route anyway, but it's good to go as far as possible."

"And what do you do when you can't go on?" I ask.

"You keep running."

I keep silent for a while.

"And then?"

"You either collapse, either pretend to collapse. The second one is what most of us are doing."

"And the rest just collapse like that?" I widen my eyes.

"No, the rest are the ones who manage to complete the route."

"Oh." My eyes go back to their original size.

"Now shut it." she huffs and she doesn't address me anymore. We run for a good couple of minutes until I manage to get into the movements and it starts to feel natural to me. The only thing that doesn't feel natural is the pain of my muscles, which is killing me. I grimace while huffing and suddenly I throw the blond coach a glimpse. Our looks meet and he narrows his eyes suspiciously. He's just looking at us while we're entering a tight gangway between two tall walls from the building's composition and then I can't see him anymore. Gosh, am that interesting to the coaches in general? Or maybe it's because I keep doing wrong things?

And then it hits me. The Laxus coach was looking at me suspiciously. That can only mean that I'm suspected for something and the only thing that comes to my mind is my conversation from yesterday with the President. I didn't seem to take him that seriously when he said 'I'll be keeping an eye on you.' Laxus must've been informed of some criminal intentions I'm supposed to have.

"Hey watch it!" a girl hisses at me when I accidentally hit her with my elbow. Well, we're so tight in here, that I wonder how our perfect formation can still last.

As I already thought, I didn't last long. After something like fifteen minutes, I'm beat and I think about faking a grand collapse in front of them. Once again, my acting skills would come out in handy.

But don't have to fake anything because we reach our fourth lap and while passing by the coach again, we see he's talking with a man who wasn't there before. I see his lift his hand and he suddenly calls out loud –with a powerful voice:

"Halt!"

What the-?! Are we some kind of vehicles?!

The formation stops running so suddenly that I bump into Levy. The girls are panting either lightly, either hardly, but they all stand and stare surprised at the coach, waiting for an explanation. On his face I read a slightly sad and disappointed expression.

I see the boys stop as well and we all take some kind of position to receive the news.

"We've received a word that saddened me greatly."

Some people have their faces rigid and careless, but I can see the color of their skin is turning white and I can only wonder what this is all about. I look at Levy and she's biting her lower lip, looking at the ground. I widen my eyes and I can read on her lips that she's whispering: 'Please, please, please'. What's going on?

"One of our comrades has fallen during a mission."

I, along with some other newbie's, am the only one who is surprised.

Laxus looks at a piece of paper and I can hear the rustle as he unfolds it in that deep, death-like silence. Something tells me that I won't be able to be happy that I can rest right now.

"Hillary Bell, section B, fourth position, died yesterday night when she failed to assassinate George Victor."

Everybody is so silent that if it was dark, I would've thought I'm alone. And then, a girl suddenly bursts out crying. I look at her with wide, painful eyes. Probably a friend.

Some of the President's words popped out in my head. _Nobody really wants to make friends here_. But they do, because it only comes natural, and then they just get hurt when they lose them. I understand now why I was told such a thing and realize this is the first act of kindness from the rulers here: the advice of not making any friends.

Some of the boys that had caps on their heads are taking them off in respect. Nobody blames the girl that's laying on the ground and crying her heart out. Nobody stops her and nobody wants to be in her place. They're all glad that it wasn't _their_ friend who died. I look at Levy and she's filled with pain and relief at the same time. I wonder how hard it is to live your whole live on the edge because you can lose somebody dear to you any minute. I don't think I want to know.

Suddenly, I notice a different kind of facial expression on the people present. Hate. Thirst for revenge.

A hand lifts from the boys' formation. I look at him. It's Jellal.

"I volunteer to finish the mission." He says through his teeth. He's angry. Was this Hillary a friend of his, too?

"Accepted. See General Gildarts after activity for the details."

"Yes, sir." He says and then dissolves back into the crowd, with hateful eyes. He's probably seeking revenge for his fallen comrade.

"I have to say I'm disappointed that there was only one volunteer this time. It's a comrade we're talking about!" Laxus nags us and I have to say, I'm pretty impressed by his attitude towards this situation. He must be a better coach than the rest. "I'm disappointed in you. Maybe you're too afraid to take on a task somebody couldn't finish?"

"Sir, no, sir!" most of the people call out and we're pretty much back to the old atmosphere.

"Now I really want to give you a couple of laps in addition, but in respect for the fallen one, today you're excused from running." He sighs. "Let's just skip to the special activity."

The man that had brought him the news of the girl's death is leaving. Laxus looks at his watch. Taking into account that he can see the time, I only now notice it's no longer dark. I can see the sun spreading long shadows everywhere.

"The President will honor us with his presence in this activity, assuming that it's his idea to begin with. We're talking about a race."

More running?! Seriously, are these people trying to kill us early or what?!

"This time, it won't be a race of speed."

Oh, good then.

"It will be a race of thinking. Most of you haven't been out there yet, and you must get accustomed to the idea of what you'll meet. Those of you who are already experienced in this domain will follow another course."

He pauses and allows the information to grow roots into our heads.

"What's the achievement of this, you ask? Well it's easy. There _is_ no achievement."

He stares at us and we stare at him. I raise my eyebrows.

"There's no achievement… unless you allow it to be. It depends on you and you alone if you can learn something from this exercise."

I don't know about him, but it seems pretty easy to learn from to me. What can you _not_ learn from the imitation of an assassination right in front of you?

"Alright, we'll start before the President arrives here. I want you to make two columns. The first one is with those who've never gone out on a mission and the second one with the rest. Boys and girls mix."

At the beginning I follow Levy but after a few moments, I remember she's been out in the missions. It must seem so unnatural to me because I've been played by her acting during her missions. It's really weird because my friend must already be an expert at this kind of things.

I look for Thayla but I can't see her anywhere. I bump into all kinds of people until I manage to lose myself in the middle on a column imitation with people I guess are the newbie's and people under the third position. I stand up on my toes to see what's going on in front. Laxus is waiting impatiently for us to organize.

When it's finally quiet, he walks toward the column with the experienced ones.

"You there." He calls a random guy. "Come here. You'll be the one with the timer. Alright, I'm going to explain the rules only one time, so pay attention. You are in front of a manor at nightfall. You're playing … let's say the pizza delivery person. Your target is a teenager your opposite sex, the inheritor of the manor and a grand amount of money. You have to finish your mission during one hour, no exceptions. You have twenty seconds to think of a strategy and you'll receive grades considering how good it is. You'll be ranked and this ranking will be used in your advantage or disadvantage in the following task I'll be giving you. You might think it's easy, but I still haven't reached the most interesting part."

He pauses dramatically.

"I don't want to hear two identical strategies."

Some eyes widen and I guess that now they all want to be the first ones to say their strategy.

"Picture that you've tried everything the others said and it didn't work, no matter how good the strategy. And don't forget your life's on the line."

He turns to the guy with the timer.

"You're a leader, aren't you?"

He nods.

"Then do you already know this exercise?"

"I've done something similar, but never the same."

Laxus thinks for a moment.

"Then go back. I'll put somebody else as a judge." He looks at the entrance, where the man who had announced the coach of the death is waiting. The boy who is sent back suddenly isn't so confident anymore and he's nervous, showing how stressful this kind of exercise can be.

He runs in their direction as soon as he sees Laxus wave to him. I glimpse at Levy and see that she, along with the rest, is concentrating on the exercise and not on what's happening. She's biting her own nails while frowning. I kinda pity them; _I_ wouldn't know what to do in that kind of situation.

"You there! Start!"

The assistant presses a button to a little clock-like thing that I think is the timer.

"Um… Uh… I'd deliver the pizza and when they want to take it, I ask that they let me inside so I can help them carry it. Instead of exiting the building, I hide somewhere inside the house and-"

"They won't get their attention off of you for one second. You fail. Next! You!"

I girl gets all flushed-up and she starts blabbering:

"I-I-I'd leave the pizza in front of the house and when they go to pick it up, I enter the house and hide for little while."

The coach nods slowly and she's allowed to continue.

"When they aren't around, I get out and start searching carefully for the target into the house."

"You'll get found out in no time. You fail. Next!"

The following person says:

"I'm going to have to enter the manor the same way, but! When they're out of sight, I enter the … um… the…"

"You're just copying another strategy. Fail. Next."

The next one blabbers and even if his idea is good, he's out of time and he receives an average ranking, I guess.

And then, it's Levy's turn and I listen carefully.

"After I had obviously studied and learned by heart the architecture of the house along with personal information about the family and especially the inheritor…" Laxus nods pleased and Levy continues."… I knock at the door and tell that I've been asked to make a special delivery to the inheritor and that I know him personally. The person is forced to call for him no matter what. I'll take into consideration the best situation and I'm left at the opened door. I leave the pizza to make them think I left and enter the house and then the ventilation duct." I've never heard Levy talk so fast in my entire life. "Since I've called for the inheritor, he's going towards the front door and I know his position in the house. I can attack him in the right moment, but I'd be easy to expose then, so I'd follow him to where he's going and when he's alone in a room, I can throw a gaze bomb or-"

"Time's up." The assistant calls out.

"Brilliant! You're small, so your plan fits you perfectly. You definitely pass. Next!"

I don't know if I should be happy for Levy because she's so good at planning people's deaths. My face is rigid and I don't smile back at her when our eyes meet.

Other than her, the others who pass are a girl who manages to seduce the inheritor and some other guys who make use of technology or drugs in pizza.

As a newbie, I'm surprised there can be so many possibilities to kill a person in their own home. I wouldn't have been able to think more than popping out in the shower with a knife.

After a couple of minutes, Laxus leaves the judging to the assistant who turns out to be very good at this, and directs his attention to us.

Our exercise is simple. Actually it's not. It sound simple literally, but I have no idea what I'm supposed to say, do or think when he looks at us and says:

"Your task is to assassinate me."

We just stand there dumb-founded and he finds the need to repeat himself:

"You have ten seconds to assassinate me. I'll be counting."

"W-What do you mean, assassinate you…? Sir." a guy asks.

"I mean, assassinate me. You have ten seconds to think of a way to assassinate me."

"We don't have any weapons to begin with, sir." a girl that seems a little more advanced than us says.

"You don't need weapons. Alright, enough explanations!"

He intends to tell us to begin, when he looks somewhere else and nods. Some of us also look in that direction. My face drops. It's the President. For how long has been laying against that wall, looking at us?

"Welcome, sir. We're honored to have you here with us."

I stare in wonder at the respect. Natsu Dragneel nods smiling.

"Ready… You there! Begin!"

The girl that is pointed to stares at him and slowly turns red.

"One, two, thee, four… What are you doing? Do something!"

The ten seconds pass after she only makes a few steps towards him and then she's dismissed.

"I already told you, this is a test of thinking as fast as you can! With that in mind, assassinate me!"

But the story repeats with the following people and only one boy dares to rush the coach's way thinking that he wouldn't be fought back. But the next moment he was laying on the ground, holding his bleeding nose.

"Next!"

"Sir, can we at least get a hint?" Thayla asks so shyly and quietly that I'm afraid she wasn't heard. But the coach hears her well and frowns.

"I'm disappointed that you ask this of me. There is no hint to be given because there is no exact way of doing this. As you've already seen in your superior's cases, there is always a new way of doing something. It only depends on who you are and what our abilities are."

We all think about his words and I can't control myself and look at the President. He looks nonchalantly at us as if he's already done this kind of activities thousands of times before. Our eyes meet and I look away trying to seem careless.

"But if you'd like, I can turn my back on you."

I raise my eyebrows.

"Break's over. You there. Go."

"C-Can you turn your back, please?"

The coach obeys under our surprised stares, making me think that this can't really be a solution. As I watch all the following tries, I realize it's no use no matter in what way you approach Laxus. The moment you're in his arm's reach, he hits you K.O. and it's over. But it just makes me think: how are we supposed to assassinate him if he already knows he's being targeted? Aren't these murders done in secret.

I look again at the President wondering how he managed to pass something like this. Our eyes meet again and I frown. He's looking at me on purpose, not just by coincidence. This time I hold his stare fearlessly. I've got no reason to be browbeaten.

I am shocked to see his face sadden. What?! For a moment, I can't believe I just witnessed this. But when his facial expression returns to normal and he looks at me with seriousness and in an obvious way, I'm just dumb-founded. I frown softly. After two seconds, he exaggerates his expressions once again: the corners of his mouth go down and his eyebrows furrow, his eyes looking at me scared. He then looks at me frowning, saying: 'don't you get it?!' But I don't understand him! What is he trying to show me? How sad he can look like?! What the heck, man?! I'm still mad at him and he's probably also mad at me, but he still makes such faces as if nothing happened! That doesn't really make sense, but it's alright!

While my head hurts from trying to figure out what both the coach and the President want from me, an idea suddenly strikes my head. I widen my eyes.

Wait a minute. First of all, no matter how simple the task sounds like, we're at BLS and that means that nothing is what is seems, which means that this task hides something really complicated. And at the superiors' exercise, I saw that they needed to make a strategy. Maybe this means that in this task that at first sight is stupid and impossible, needs a strategy to be completed. And _maybe_… the President is trying to give me a hint on what strategy I should use.

The coach said that the answer is within ourselves; our abilities, our personality or whatever. Well who am I? I am a girl. So what, I have to seduce him 'cause I'm a girl? Well I'm not good at that and I have to do something I'm good at.

The President's face looks like it's on the edge of crying for the third time. I widen my eyes as I realize the answer.

Acting.

I'm good at acting. The President's telling me to act.

"You there! Begin!" I flinch as I think I've been addressed, but it's the person beside me. I watch the girl walk slowly towards him and ask him to turn around. She then starts running soundlessly towards him even before he counts 'one'. But it's impossible for him not to feel something as obvious as her and after fighting a little with her, the ten seconds pass and she fails.

I try to think fast. How should I act? I mean, the President is telling me to fake sad? I look at him, but he's looking somewhere else as if nothing ever happened.

"Next one! You there!"

My hearts starts racing. It's my turn. I intend to step through the people shyly, still not sure as to what to do. But then I'm overwhelmed with happiness when I suddenly know exactly what to do.

I don't move and everybody looks at me, waiting for me to go to the place where they've been all going. But now that I think about it, this is even more brilliant than I imagined! An assassin is never obvious, right? Then why should I do what they've been all doing? Why should I go in the front.

I'm trembling from head to toe and I look like I can't move.

"What are you doing, it's your turn." Laxus frowns at me.

I don't say anything and I just look at him with wide, trembling eyes. I fear him. I _have_ to fear him. He's going to hurt me if I go there. Just like those people when I was a child. Those people who called themselves the guardians of our orphanage. How many bruises I've had from their punishments, I can't even imagine a number so great. And now, I'm all living it again, only this time, it's a tall, blond man calling me to embarrass myself and get punished again. It's a horrible thing. I have to think like that.

"Are you deaf? We don't have all day long!" he yells at me and I flinch. Tears rush in my eyes and and suddenly hic-ups escape my throat. I start crying for good.

"I… can't…. I don't want to do it…"

Everybody looks at me dumb-founded. Why the heck am I crying, am I a baby? they must think. It's not such a horrible situation for me to be so scared!

"What?!" Laxus asks shocked.

"I don't…. I don't know what to do… I can't… do it!"

The coach slowly turns red with anger and starts approaching me fast. He's probably going to hit me or something for being such a crybaby, so I cower and m hic-ups don't have an end. This is perfect, I was wondering how I should approach him anyway.

"You little…" he's only a few steps away from me and has his arm lifted prepared to slap me, but in a second I am next to him and all I do is touch his chest.

He stares at me dumb-founded along with everybody. I'm wiping away my tears and I'm obviously not crying anymore. Nobody understands what just happened, so I feel the need to explain.

"Sir, with all due respect, if I knew how to use a knife or a gun and if I actually had one upon myself right now, you would've been dead by now. I think I've just assassinated you." I say silently with my eyes furrowed with seriousness and respect.

I bow shortly in respect and back up, through the crowd. Laxus stares at me with wide eyes and takes a few seconds to understand that I've just passed his test.

"Wait, she _faked_ it?!" somebody asks silently, but I can hear them.

Laxus suddenly grins.

"Brilliant… Simply brilliant! I was totally tricked by your acting! You managed it like a professional! Congratulations! You're the first girl to accomplish this task so wonderfully for the last twenty years!"

A mixture of pride and devastation suddenly fills me. I somehow can't be completely happy being praised. It's an assassinating organization we're talking about, a place I hate and I want to escape! How could I actually _fit_ in here?!

I just nod shortly. Well, it wasn't _my_ brilliant idea to begin with. I glimpse at the President and he winks at me. My eyes widen shortly but I don't want to get exposed, so I look away fast.

"Next!"

Why in the world did he help me? He had no reason to do that. The last time I checked, he disliked me. Dearly. We disliked each other and it had been pretty obvious to me that we didn't have anything to do with each other.

But he helped me. And then he winked at me, like a 'you're welcome'. This is crazy; I don't understand him at all. Now he's being nice to me and he saves me from falling and dying, carries me all the way down without letting go, then he's a rascal, makes me run, and then kicks my bottom with a toy gun exhausting me. He's nice again, praises me and then he's a maniac and threatens me, making me clean up after him. Right now, he helped me again. Judging from the order of the events, something bad is going to follow. I can feel it coming; I should be prepared for it! I narrow my eyes as I look at him again.

"So you really were an actress?" the voice breaks my train of thoughts and I flinch. I turn around and face Rita, the mean leader that is supposedly jealous on me over the President.

"Well duh, what'd you think, that I was lying?"

"Well, I dunno, it was surprising that you were _faking_ that crybaby thing. It suited you too well not to be real."

I frown at her.

"Shut up, _leader_. Why don't you do better than me if you think you're so great?"

"Because I'm not _inspired_ like you were." she says between her teeth and I freeze. Does she know that the President showed me what to do? Or did she just rank me higher than her in the same sentence? I don't know why, but I tend to believe that she saw me looking at Natsu Dragneel the President.

I decide to shrug my shoulders and seem indifferent.

My stomach growls so hard that I think it was heard in the whole neighborhood. But it's not something weird, because I've heard other stomachs growl, too. I'm starving. I haven't eaten since the morning of the day I've been kidnapped, and that means two days ago. I can still stand up and actually be so active because I'm totally used to not eating. I've had days with diets, I've had days with stress, and in the end here I am, benefiting from them all.

I want to sit on the ground, but I don't dare to do this, so I just stand there, feeling my feet hurt badly. I yawn more than ten times until the last newbie fails the test, not being able to pull out any strategy as good as mine. Which was actually the President's.

After that, we're sent to do three laps and then it's already eight o'clock. That means we are given half an hour free and at eight thirty we're having breakfast. I'm so afraid I won't ever get to eat again that I want to go straight to the canteen and assure myself I have a chair, plate and enough food to feed the new black hole in my stomach. But I follow the girls instead and we walk back to where our room was. Some take a change of clothes because they're sweaty and I do the same, taking the t-shirt and long pants that were given to me, and then I go to the bathroom. I take a long, relaxing bath, the first one in what seemed like years.

It's the first time I feel like I'm in heaven since I was brought here and something tells me the bathtub is the _only_ place where I'll ever feel like this as long as I'm here.

I hurry to get dressed and then I meet with Thayla at the sinks.

"Hey there, I was looking for you!" I say smiling at her.

"Yeah, me too." She says. "I heard you made quite a performance there. I couldn't see, I was in the very back."

I don't know how to reply and instead, I wait for her to finish washing her face and we hurry towards the canteen.

It was already quite full, but I find an empty table and occupy two places for the both of us while she's taking _food_ for both. I look at the people going in every direction possible and wonder if I could meet with Levy and call her to stay at the same table as me. Or maybe Loke's group –except for Jellal, since he volunteered to go on that mission, which makes me doubt he's here right now. But I can't see any of them and in the end I think we're going to sit alone at the table. Well, I don't really mind.

But what happens next makes me think that I'd actually _prefer_ for us to be alone.

I see a pink haired man with a tough look on his face approach my table. At first I doubt that it's _my_ table he's approaching, but then he puts on a wide, charming grin and sits down, putting the server in front of him on the table. I'm left speechless. In his case, words seem like they don't even need to be spoken. He smiles so wonderfully at me and I stare so terribly at him, that all that the situation allowed me to say was:

"I didn't know presidents take the breakfast together with the lower-ranked ones."

**Well, my dear's, this is it for now! I hope you enjoyed it! Please review!**

**Love you all! Bye-bye!**


	6. Secret Mission

**Thank you guys for the awesome reviews! You made me super-happy! Yaaay! And special thanks to Leah for being as fabulous as ever! (And, Leah, your english is great. I'm not an english-speaker either, so if I make mistakes, please forgive me, everybody!)**

**Still Lucy****'s POV. Enjoy!**

"_I didn't know presidents take the breakfast together with the lower-ranked ones."_

I clench my teeth and it's not because I'm angry. I'm only nervous. I look at him trying to seem tough. He's looking right back at me smiling sweetly. I don't know what he's planning, but I'm sure it's not good. Not for me, at least.

"I can have breakfast with whoever I want. And I want to have it with my dear assistant this morning."

I twitch a smile. So this is what it was all about.

"I'm not your assistant. I think we've already had this conversation before."

"You owe me. Twice. And the only thing that I'm asking of you is for you to be my assistant. You should be honored and grateful, not-"

"Excuse my rudeness, mister President, but considering that it's only eight in the morning, I will have to excuse myself from this kind of conversation and I will only eat like everybody is supposed to do."

He doesn't say anything for a couple of moments and we just glare at each other until Thayla arrives with our food. She looks surprised at the President freezing before she could put the servers down on the table. He lifts one arm without breaking our eye-contact.

"Please leave the server and leave, Miss Bother. I would like to have a private conversation with Miss Heartfilia."

I widen my eyes. Even I didn't know Thayla's last name was Bother, how did _he_ know? And how dare he command Thayla to leave her own table?! I look at her frowning and expect her to shot a word or two back at him. But instead of reaching my expectations, she looks at me fast, places the server silently on the table and then excuses herself. I watch her wide-eyed as she walks away completely daunted. I keep my jaw from dropping. But I immediately direct my attention back at him.

"Was that necessary?!" I slam my hands against the table. "What do you have to tell me that she can't hear?!"

I don't want any special treatment and I'm not referring to a positive one!

"I don't know, how about you having an impressive strategy that you call your own?" he asks looking at his nails. His face pisses me off so badly that I want to slap him.

"I knew I shouldn't have listened to you." I hiss regretting dearly that I even looked at him back there. "If every time you're going to help me you'll expect something in return, then you can keep your assistance to yourself!"

"I didn't say I want something in return for me helping you." he says, but then frowns a little. "Wait, I _did_ say such a thing…"

"What do you want from me?!"

I expect him to tell me that he wants to make me his assistant and I'm already preparing my words. I'm ready for a serious argument with him. But as I look at him silently, his deep, onyx eyes search through mine in a worried manner. He doesn't move, he doesn't speak. He just looks into my eyes pressing his lips together. He catches me off guard with a flustered touch on my hand. I flinch back, but he completely takes over my hand with his huge palms. I don't move and just stare at him as my cheeks flush confusedly.

"I want… to know if I can trust you."

I widen my eyes and no matter how much I want to take my hand back, he's holding it tightly. I know what his intentions are now. He must know that the worst way to lie to someone is to lie while holding hands with that someone. At least that's what I read in a magazine.

"W-Why?"

He looks shortly around and then bends over the table. I bend a little too, curiosity winning me over. He parts his lips and then whispers in my ear:

"I can't tell you here. Finish eating early and then come to my office."

I look at him surprised and realize our faces are only inches apart. I stare into his serious eyes and I think my cheeks are slowly turning red. I notice he has a slight shade of brown in his eyes and it makes me wonder if it isn't just the neon lights.

I think I intended at first to say that I don't want to have anything to do with him.

But then he looks shortly at my lips and my heart skips a beat. My eyes widen even more and I shoot myself back in my place, not able to stop my cheeks from turning any redder. This wouldn't have happened if he hadn't looked at my lips. I don't know why, but I know that doing this is something too intimate to just do it with anybody. I know it sounds stupid, but I've never seen a guy look at a girl's lips unless he wants to kiss her. It's not the case, I know. But I still feel uncomfortable.

He stuffs a couple of spoons with cereals in his mouth and then stands up and leaves as if nothing ever happened.

After a few moments of waiting, I come back to normal and start eating slowly. I'm too curious to find out what he has to tell me, so I keep in mind to finish early. Why would he ask me for my trust? I can't even guess what this is about. But then… Am I even trustable? If it was something important, would he be able to trust me? I didn't even answer him this question.

And above all, why me?

I keep asking this when it's about him. Why does he seem to have an interest in me?

When I feel like I'm not hungry anymore, I become sleepy, but I still stand, get rid of my server and then walk out the doors of the canteen, feeling a little embarrassed for being in front of everybody's eyes. It's not like they'd be paying attention to me, though. They're just chatting happily with not a care in the world. I don't look any further, afraid to meet eyes with somebody I know.

I exit and close the door at my back. It's so silent on the hallway. I start walking fast and immediately the leader Erza's words pop out in my head_: "You're not allowed to come on this hallway without a leader."_

It's my second day and I'm already transgressing.

I walk with fast steps until I recognize the office's doors. I wonder for the first time what if this is only a prank to get me caught up and punished? Actually I tend to believe this more, because I'd definitely see the President doing something as cruel as this. This makes me pout frustrated and I decide to look through the keyhole first.

I suddenly remember about the conversation I overheard yesterday. It seems so long ago, but I remember it clearly.

_Trying to seduce a girl_.

The words pop out in my head and once again, I'm left in doubt and thought.

I then bend over and my eyes struggle to look through the tiny hole in there. Wait, what is this? At first, all I see is dark. Then I can clearly see that it's not dark, it's an eye.

I shot myself back with my heart stopped and my breath cut. I cover my mouth with my hands to cut off a short scream of surprise.

The door opens slowly and the President stands there looking at me in a bored manner. I'm still frozen from the shock of having looked through the keyhole at the same time as him. We look at each other and then he motions with his hand, inviting me inside. I don't say a word and make small steps. He closes the door silently.

He walks towards a cupboard and pours hot water form a thermos into two cups.

"I heard you in front of the door and I was too curious as to why you weren't entering already. There's my explanation. Now I want to hear yours. Why the heck are you looking through the keyhole into my office?"

He hands me one cup and the perfume of blackberries hits my nose. I take it hesitatingly.

"I-I-I s-suddenly thought that you were playing a prank on me and I wanted to see if you were actually there." I tell the truth and I'm glad that this was the only reason I did what I did.

"Oh" he says disappointedly. His face saddens. "Come on, I thought you knew me better than this."

"I don't know you at all." I reply.

He lightens up and says:

"Well. It's alright. We're going to fix that. We have forever to get to know each other."

Why did I come here again?

"And what do you want to know, exactly?" I roll my eyes.

"If you're a trustworthy person or not." he replies and places his cup on the table. I remain silent.

"So. Before anything else, I want you to answer me a couple of questions honestly."

"Do I have to? What if I don't want to?"

"If I remember correctly, I've already emphasized that I don't care if you want it or not. You're going to do exactly what I'll tell you to do."

I keep my calm and decide to give it a shot anyway. I don't have anything to lose, now do I?

"First question." He gives me a serious look and pauses dramatically. "Why did you listen to what I advised you to do this morning?"

I stare at him surprised. Now that he says it, why did I?

"Well… I guess I did that because I knew you were already experienced in that kind of exercises. At first I wanted to know what you're trying to tell me and then I understood you were giving me a hind. I don't know…"

He looks at me with his arms crossed at his chest.

"Sit down." he tells me and I do so, sitting on the same coach I woke up on last time. "Is that all?"

"Yes, I think so."

"So you didn't even know for sure if it'd work, but you followed what I said because you trusted my experience."

"Well, I guess so… But you didn't _say_ it, you-"

"Not important. Do you allow me to understand that you trust me?"

I look at him surprised. For a good couple of seconds, we just stare at each other.

"I didn't say that."

"But you trust my experience in this domain."

"Well that's a completely different thing. I don't trust _you_."

"But you trusted me when I gave you instructions about what to do up on the pillar."

I keep silent again. He's right.

"I…"

"Lucy Heartfilia, if you trust me, I can trust that you will follow my instructions from now on, too."

"No!" I revolt, but he cuts me off:

"You cleaned up after our gun fight because I told you to do so. You even came to the office against the rules because I told you to do so. Even though you didn't want to do it, you still did is because I told you to."

This is crazy. I was obedient to this kind of guy all this time?! Unconsciously! How can it be?

"Why do you need to trust me?" I ask.

He approaches me and I feel so small my head being at the level of his abdomen.

"Second question. What are your intentions for the present?"

"What?" I ask surprise. "What do you mean?"

"Exactly that."

I hesitate and then try to answer:

"I… don't know. More than having intentions, I feel lost here."

"It doesn't seem to me that way." he answers in a tough tone and I find myself realizing I, indeed, am not speaking the truth.

"Come on. I know you're not as weak as to let yourself be taken by a situation. I've observed you, Lucy Hearfilia. As an actress there was never a moment when you lost yourself. Except for one." He adds the last sentence softly, shocking me even more. "You're smart and you think so fast that you've probably already made up a plan to escape the base."

He laughs and his words hit me so hard that at first I'm not able to say a thing.

"So come on, what intentions do you have for the present?"

I look at the ground.

"For now all I want to do is survive."

"And what about the future?"

"I don't know. But as I've already said, I don't intend to remain here. I'll do whatever I can to get out, no matter how many coaches you tell to have an eye on me."

I expect him to mock with me, but instead he keeps silent. I can see his black running shoes, identical to mine, only a lot bigger. He has black skinny jeans, and a red shirt opened up at his neck. He stands out due to the shirt. For now he doesn't move.

"Why do you hate this place so much?"

His voice sounded so soft and mild that it completely took me by surprise.

"Huh." I breathe. "I wonder."

"I'm serious. You aren't in the situation to kill anybody yet. So why are you so turned on against us?"

"Well I don't want to _ever_ be in that situation."

"And you won't _ever_ be if you remain weak. The problem is that you can't remain weak."

"We'll see about that." I say.

"Trust me. I was in the same situation a long time ago."

I widen my eyes.

"What?" I ask surprised. "You were trained here?"

"What'd you expect? Of course I was. And I didn't want to grow any stronger, and I still don't. But I still got here, where you see me right now."

"Why didn't you want to grow any stronger?" I ask curiously.

"I was scared of going in missions."

"And?"

He gives me an amused look and bursts out laughing.

"You want me to tell you my story? I don't have time for this!"

"Please!" I ask with big, hopeful eyes and his smile disappears for a moment. If he went through this kind of experience, I want to know how he managed to get past it. He looks back at me surprised at my sudden expression.

He then smiles devilishly and bends over so that our faces are uncomfortably close again. I back up a little.

"What will you give me if I tell you?"

"_Give_ you?" I ask confused. "What could I possibly _give_ you? I don't have anything!"

"I don't know… Maybe…" he studies my body for a moment. "Your personal services…"

I widen my eyes and I don't think I want to know what he meant by that. My cheeks are slowly turning red and I want to slap him.

"What the- You- Are you-" I babble embarrassed.

"… As an assistant for my further calculations." He completes his sentence without me expecting it.

I get frustrated for being tricked. Now he's laughing at my red face.

"NO! Keep your story to yourself if you're going to be like that!"

"It's alright, I'll tell you." he stops laughing. "You see… As a child, I was a scared dimwit. I was forced to follow a training and I kept growing strong even if I didn't want that. I was advanced along the years. I went on my fist mission when I became a leader. And after that, it became easier and easier to do it until one day when an accident happened. After that, I only advanced through power and intelligence, but I could never go out again. I happened to stumble upon information I wasn't supposed to find out. The higher-ups decided that instead of killing me, they'd just drag me into their plan and soon I became the most needed toy. I was good at it and I soon became a general. As a general, I had access to much secret information and I somehow made the organization grow in utility. I had a wonderful ability of running things, especially the going of missions, that in the end they found themselves needing me too much. They made me their President. And they could never refuse anything I said. So I never had to go on a mission again because I didn't want to."

He frowns and then continues:

"Until now."

He lifts his eyes upon me and catches my shoulders in his grip. His touch on my naked skin makes me feel really uncomfortable.

"For the first time in forever, I'll have to go on a very important mission."

"So what?" I ask and even though I had no intention of sounding like I don't care, well, it sill sounded so.

"So, this is where I'll be needing your help. And to make sure you won't fail my instructions, I prepared a way of threatening you."

"Threat? What could you possibly threat me with?" I laugh at him. His face is rigid.

"Your friend."

I suddenly freeze. I stare at him with wide eyes. Is he talking about Thayla? Levy?

"Don't you dare do a thing to her!"

"_Her_?" he asks raising an eyebrow. "And here I was ready to bet on my life that he's a guy."

My eyes widen even more when I realize who he's talking about. I stand up and hold his amused look with my worried one. My heart is filled with sadness and desperation. I suddenly miss him so much that it hurts.

"Where's Gray…? Tell me!"

"He's fine, as long as you obey what I tell you to do."

What I do next shocks him completely. No matter what he was expecting, he wasn't expecting me to drop to the ground and bow to him, slamming my forehead against the floor.

"I'll do whatever you want me to do. I swear on my own life. Just please, I'm begging you. Don't hurt him."

He remains shocked for a few moments, but then he mutters silently:

"Are you in love with him or something?"

I widen my eyes at his dumb question and I dare to look up at him.

"I love him as a friend. I don't know how else I could ever love my friends."

"But he's a man."

"What do you mean?"

"You don't love him as a man?"

He's confusing me with his questions.

"I don't understand what you're saying. I've never been in love before, if that's what you mean."

He frowns.

"But you kissed him."

"What?" I also frown. "When did I do that?"

But then I remember immediately. We kissed in the rain scene for the movie we were working on. "Oh yeah… Well, so what if I kissed him?"

"Normal people only do that when they're in love." The President probably forgot that we were _filming_ back then!

"Why? Does it have some kind of special meaning?"

He stares at me shocked and he backs up a few steps.

"Don't tell me you don't even know that much…. So you really _are_ stupid when it comes to love."

"Why?" I ask frustrated. "What's so special about love anyway? It's just a stupid feeling!"

He rests his forehead on his hand.

"I guess I can't make you seduce him in that case. This will be harder than I thought."

"_Seduce_?! Seduce _whom_?!"I ask shocked and I almost can't stop myself form asking him who _he_ is supposed to seduce if we're at it. But I remember that I'm not supposed to know that he's being paid to win over a girl and that I would be in big trouble if I'm found out.

He puts his finger to his lips hissing a 'shhhh' and then he bends over to whisper in m ear.

"Swear your loyalty to me beforehand."

"NO! Pick up somebody else, like a leader! Why me?"

"I can't pick a leader. It's a leader I'm suspecting in the first place. I need somebody nobody would suspect."

"And why me?"

"Nobody thinks that the President would choose a newbie for a secret mission."

"Thank you very much. And why me?"

"I've seen a big fighter in you! You have potential!"

I roll my eyes but even if I don't show it, I'm a little convinced.

"What do I get for this?" I ask knowing that I won't receive a thing from these selfish bastards at BLS. But I am double-surprised when he answers me:

"Money."

"Money. Money? Are you serious?"

He looks at me in an obvious way.

"What else would you like to get? Tickets to a movie or something?"

"Hey, I'm not joking."

"Me neither. I'll give you money."

Heck, if I had bucks on me right now, I'd slap him with them and then I'd stuff them in his mouth.

"What could you possibly do with money in this… this _cage_?! Order pizza? Buy your _freedom_?!"

"Actually, if you don't have money here, sweetheart, you can't survive. What, you thought that we're going to feed you until you earn your own money from the missions? That could happen after years!"

I didn't know that. I didn't know you paid for your food; but now that he says it, it's kinda obvious indeed. I also didn't know that we're being paid for the missions.

"I didn't pay anything for today's breakfast." I say hesitatingly.

"You don't pay for the first clothes and the first month's food. But after that, you're going to have to run all kinds of errands of even take a part-time job to earn money. It's a hard fight before you start getting salary for the fieldwork. So it'd be a big help to have money beforehand."

I narrow my eyes at him.

"And what if I'm found out? How would I explain that I have money even if I'm not working?"

He smirks at me and his eyes are also narrow.

"You're sharp. I'm glad I chose the right person. In the case you're found out…"

"I have to blame you as you advised me in my first day." I try completing him. But he looks at me shocked.

"_NO_; are you crazy?! If it's found out that you're close to me, they'd immediately know I hired you and I'm doomed!"

"And you still wanted to make me your assistant?"

"Well a secret one, duh! So, as I was saying; if you get found out, say that you've been running errands for a leader and that leader prefers it to remain a secret. Nobody will ask any further and you aren't pointing your finger to anybody."

I keep silent and continue staring at him narrow-eyed.

"So? Do you swear your loyalty to me during this mission I'm giving you?"

For a good couple of moments, I just stare at him silently. He looks back at me, waiting for an answer.

"Do you also swear Gray is going to be well taken care of?"

"I promise." He says placing his palm over his heart and for a moment, I actually trust him.

He thrust his hand forth, waiting for me to take it. I hesitate and then we shake hands while I say:

"I promise I will do whatever you tell me to do as long as it doesn't endanger my life." and then I add "I hope you die in that mission of yours."

"Feelings are mutual."

He then pulls out a voice recorder from his pocket and shows it to me.

"Now you can't take back a word."

"Great, now you'll forever know that I hate you and hope you die."

He smiles sarcastically.

"Now tell me who you wanted me to freaking _seduce_." I say, clinching my teeth. I can't believe I just swore my loyalty to this bastard. I have a feeling I'm going to regret this dearly.

He breathes in deeply.

"Listen well, because I'm not going to repeat. At the beginning of my career as a President of this organization, everything was going well. Our rules were ethical and so was our staff. But then, one day one of the past newbie's was advanced and became a leader. He started making use of his authority and he's really good at handling people. I didn't like this person. Over the time, I found out he was eavesdropping on secret conversations and searching through private files. In other words, he got access to information he wasn't supposed to know."

"Wait, why are you telling me your story of becoming a President again?" I joke and he glares at me and tells me to shut up.

"I know what you're thinking about, but he has bad intentions! He will take advantage that I'm gone and surely make a move. He plans to make Bird's Last Sh*t a place of mind control and destruction!"

We both widen our eyes at his words. And not because of their meaning; I stopped hearing him at BLS.

"I thought BLS was Bird's Last _Song_, not… "I whisper softly, holding in my laughter with talent.

"I-I-I'm sorry, I…" he blabbers. He stops trying and runs a hand through his hair. "I'm sorry. This is how everybody calls the organization in secret and I overhead them too many times. I didn't realize what I was saying."

I chuckle with my fingers pressed to my lips. He looks at me surprised and freezes a second seeing his expression.

"It's alright. Go on. So you say this person is a maniac and wants to change your _ethical_ ways of killing people."

"No, don't make it sound like that. He's only training people like animals."

"Training? Didn't you say he's a leader?"

"Well, he was recently advanced as a coach. Now you know him as Nick. The one who always smokes."

"I thought Nick was the other one, with the hat."

"They're both Nick."

I stare at him for a moment, thinking how odd the situation for those two it is. Then I remember my conversation with Gajeel from my training with those two. He had told me the President and this Nick hate each other. Now I'm a witness to the truth behind the President's motives.

"Huh, so Nick." I say. Then I suddenly snap. "_Wait_, you wanted me to _seduce_ that old fart?!"

"Watch it. He's only ten years older than you."

"DUH!" I yell looking at him shocked. How _dare_ he even think I would do that! Now I'm SO glad I suck when it comes to love!

"Instead of that, considering your situation, you're going to have to spy on him."

"I'd _rather_!" I exclaim.

But then I suddenly understand what he's asking me to do. I calm down and look at him with wide eyes.

"But… How am I supposed to do that? I have my own schedule. I can't slack off. And if I'm caught, they'll kill me! It's useless!"

"It's not useless! Listen to me!" he grips my shoulders and shakes me shortly. "It's going to be hard, I know, but you can do it! All you have to do is show interest towards his classes."

I look with wide, chocolate eyes at him.

"What?"

"Be interested in what's he's teaching you. Be interested in him. He has a weakness for people who want to follow him."

"Follow him… How will that help me?"

"This isn't like school, Lucy." he tells with his mild, deep voice. "Here, if you're especially good at something, you will be trained on that side of the program in addition. You will lose some classes for those where you show talent."

"And how are you thinking of making me talented at something I'm not?"

He looks deep into my eyes. I already know the answer.

"Hard work."

His eyes are slightly covered with the eyebrows and a tricky light is playing in the darkness of that onyx color.

"You realize you're asking me for dedicate myself to something impossible."

"It's not impossible."

"And how would spending more time at his side help?"

"You'll know what he's doing most of the day. But you mustn't stop at that. Sit with his during lunch. Ask him about tricks and strategies. Take as much of his time as you can. When you're not with him, follow him, see where he's going and for how long. Watch what he's carrying with him. Pay attention to everything about him."

I must have such a pathetic look on my face that he immediately hurries to say:

"You should be happy instead of looking so desperate."

"Why would I be happy?" I ask frustrated.

"Because I'm giving you a role to play."

I freeze. My eyes widen automatically and it seems so long since I've last heard that sentence that my heart starts beating faster.

"The character you will act is talented at rock climbing, swinging on wires, pretty much everything that has to do with parkour, and most important of all, simply loves heights." His fingers press unto my shoulders' skin. "Listen well, because for the next few weeks, you will be this person!"

"I'm playing a spy?" I whisper wide-eyes. My eyes are surely glittering. I know so because my heart is fluttering with happiness.

"Y-yeah, you can say so." He frowns. "Haven't you been listening to me?"

"I've always wanted to play a spy…" I say softly and at the same time excitedly.

" G…. Good then."

He pauses.

"There's something else, very important for you to know about Nick." He suddenly remembers.

We flinch in unison when there can be heard a knock at the door. I freeze, but the President reacts immediately. He pulls me up on my feet fast and pushes me without a noise towards a closet. He opens the door fast and gives me the fluff inside.

"If you make a noise, I'm taking you with me on the mission and I swear to you, the first one who dies won't be my target."

I nod fast and he shuts the door, locking it with a key. Old fashioned closet.

I shift in the tight space between all those coats and then stop moving. It's pitch black. I hear how he opens the door and somebody enters the office with light, quick steps. A girl, probably.

"Aww, President, I was looking all over for you!" a sweet, squealing voice fills the air.

The door is closed noisily and the President starts talking randomly.

"I'm always in my office. You shouldn't be looking for me."

"But I saw you at the breakfast!" she lets out such a fake, sweet, disappointed voice that it makes me sick. "Who were you talking with, now that we're at it?"

"What does it matter to you?"

"But you know I feel jealous when the President is with other girls!"

I can hear some noises and then she whispers to him, which means the distance between them is too short for my mood.

"The President already has me." Now her voice is back to normal, only very sensual. She's starting to get on my nerves. "Why would you want another girl?"

Do these people have the impression that I'm in the mood for a live soap opera?! Who do they take me for?! They can suck each other's faces if they want, but only not with me to _hear_ everything!

"Get off of me."

I'm a little surprised to hear his commanding voice and at the same time it makes me picture the position they're in.

"But President~!"again that squealing voice that makes me shiver with disgust. I don't want to go on the mission with the President, so instead of making any actual harm to the girl, I imagine myself getting out of the closet, stuffing my hand down her throat and picking up her vocal cords one by one.

"Don't you have any shame doing this kind of thing to your superior?"

Wait. What kind of thing? What is she doing?

"But don't you like it?" she whispers and then giggles sexily.

H… Hey. What's she doing? What in the world is happening?!

"If you don't remove that hand immediately, I'm going to call a leader and you'll be punished."

"I want to be punished by you instead."

"S-Stop that! Did I say you could massage my shoulders?!"

Oh, so it was only a massage. I don't know why I'm a little disappointed.

"If you didn't come here for anything important, then get out!"

She pauses for a second, then her voice is suddenly back and she is serious.

"I came here because I have to inform you of something important."

"What is it?"

"This morning a girl form the third position caused a commotion about Jellal Fernandez going on mission instead of fallen Hillary Bell."

"I've also been informed of that matter. And why did she cause a commotion?"

"It looks like she simply didn't want him to die."

"We have this kind of situation every day. What's so special about it?"

For a couple of moments, she doesn't say anything. I hold my breath, afraid not to be heard. My feet are getting tired.

"She committed suicide."

"What?!"

I'm also shocked.

"She kept threatening she'd do so, but nobody believed her at first. But then she jumped through the high-tensioned wall. Her body was instantly carbonized."

High-tensioned wall? Now this is an interesting information I could definitely use in the future. I shift on my numb feet and I breathe in the perfume of one of the clothes. It's a cheap detergent, but it still smells good. It's something similar to cinnamon. I move my hand over the fabric and I feel in the place of the pocket something popping out through the material. I feel it in that pitch black and I take whatever is inside and grip it in my palm to identify the object.

"I'm sorry to hear that. What was the girl's name?"

"I don't know yet. As soon as I find out, I'll tell you."

"Please do so."

Another knock is heard at the door and I'm afraid I can't last much longer. Since I'm horribly bored inside here, I start searching through other pockets because the object was only a candy.

"Good morning, Mr. President. I'm here to inform you of some details I've been told regarding your… departure." This time it's a man's voice.

"Whaaat? The President's leaving?" the girl's annoying tone is back.

"It's only for a while. Now please leave. Thank you for the information."

I imagine the girl pouting.

"You know, if you send me off like this I'm probably going to eavesdrop!"

"You know the punishment for eavesdropping."

"I'd rather go to the Spine than thinking that you're hiding something from me."

If the Natsu Dragneel isn't rolling his eyes, I'm rolling mine for both of us. I take out of a pocket a piece of paper. It's the third thing I'm finding in here. I think there must be something written on it, so I stuff it inside my pocket to read it later and start searching further. There's a little light entering through a crack in the edge of the door. I make use of it when I find next an object I can't identify. It looks like a tiny disc with a button on it. It's wiser not to press it now. I don't know what it can do. I place it in my other pocket and I don't know which coat I've already searched and which I haven't.

The girl eventually leaves and I start listening to the conversation about the President's mission. It seems that what he has to do in addition is to make use of a special route they've identified as more useful, use a couple of special devices as weapons and he's been given special information regarding his target. From what I understand, the target is a rich woman working illegally on some extremity of the black market and some guys want her fat butt out of their business. I can't believe he's going to kill her. The idea horrifies me. How can they plan so calmly somebody's death?! I try to wash away the feeling, but I can't.

One detail interested me especially from their conversation. The man told the President a name: Hannah Elizabeth Feweek. I listened carefully and I understand that Natsu Dragneel had received this mission many months ago, around the same time he hired the actress Hannah Elizabeth Feweek as his manager. I still don't understand what my idol has to do with this mission or with-

Ah! I found a key! Literally, I found a key in one of his pockets! I stuff it in my own wondering where it could belong to. I'm starting to think I've been forgotten here, bound to die in such a lonely place.

So, as I was saying, I don't know if Hannah has anything to do with his mission, but it probably does. Maybe she's a help for him to reach his goal. Maybe she's somebody close to that woman he's supposed to kill. It seems it's such an important mission that he's been given a few weeks to take his time and finish everything perfectly, without leaving any trace behind.

He suddenly stands up from his chair –I imagine he does so, at least- and escorts the man to the door and then closes it silently. He waits a few seconds for insurance and then almost runs towards the closet- towards me. When the light hits my face, he founds my are-you-kidding-me facial expression and he just rubs the back of his head.

"I'm sorry. I didn't expect two people."

"You realize I'm going to get revenge on you for this."

"Are you coming out or did you start liking it there?"

I step down and I blink at the powerful light. I sit down on the coach sighing relieved. My feet were killing me. My eyes fall upon my cup of tea.

"Are you sure they don't know I've been here?"

"What makes you say that?"

"My beauty." I joke rolling my eyes. "I'm so radiant the whole closet must've been shining."

"Oh, this?" he ignores me looking at the cup of cold tea that I'm finishing. "I don't know. If they're sharp enough, then it's possible that they did."

"Let's hope not. I don't want them to make any wrong idea of us two."I say taking out the piece of paper of my paper.

"I wouldn't be worried over _that_." he shots me an odd look.

I read it discreetly, but at the same time I don't mind even if he sees it. As soon as my eyes fall on the handwriting, I freeze.

"But you're a girl, so of course you mind that kind of stuff more than being suspected and targeted." He mocks with me, obviously expecting a cold reply from me. We're already a nice mocking pair.

But when he waits and sees that I don't say anything and just stare at a piece of paper not paying attention to him and slowly getting pale, he asks curiously:

"What's that?"

I look fast at him and twitch a smile. I stuff the paper back in my pocket fast.

"Nothing. You were saying?"

"It doesn't matter." He mumbles. He waits for a couple of moments and then says: "Maybe it's safe now."

"Yeah, I'll be going now."

I stand up and walk towards the door.

"So are we all clear about what I want form you?" he asks.

I look at him and nod. No matter how confident I look, I can't control the color of my face being white. I hope he doesn't notice anything.

"Yes. I will do my best."

"Good. Then you may leave."

He opens the door silently and after checking two times for the hallway to be clear, I leave.

I walk straight to the bathroom instead of our room. I want to be alone and some of the girls must be inside the bedroom.

When I arrive, I shut myself inside a cabin. It is only then that I allow myself to express the shock I'm feeling.

I let my head fall on my hands. My eyes are wide and I'm sweating uncontrollably. My breath is shaky.

What in the world is the meaning of this?

What's written on that piece of paper…

Is my home's address.


End file.
